Polls close in 6 states
· CastanetElection Day is here. Voters are gearing up to head to the polls to cast their ballots for either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris in one of the nation’s most historic presidential races. They'll also be determining which party will control the House and Senate.
Here’s the latest:
Trump wins Kentucky and Indiana. Harris takes Vermont.
Former President Donald Trump won Kentucky for the third consecutive election on Tuesday, adding eight electoral votes to his tally.
The Republican nominee for president has won Kentucky in every election since Democrat Bill Clinton carried the Bluegrass State in 1996.
Trump also won the presidential election in Indiana on Tuesday. The reliably conservative state, where Republicans have held the governor's office for 20 years, gave Trump its 11 electoral votes.
Harris, meanwhile, won the Democratic stronghold of Vermont on Tuesday. The small state has voted in favor of Democratic candidates in the previous eight presidential elections
What to watch as polls are closing
Florida: First polls are about to close in much of Florida, which reports votes quickly. The first votes released will be early in-person and mailed votes. Those have tended to favor Democrats in the past, but it’s not clear that trend will hold this year. Florida adds Election Day votes soon after and counts few votes after election night, so races tend to wrap up quickly.
Georgia: Polls are about to close in the battleground state of Georgia. The first votes reported have historically included at least some cast before Election Day. We don’t know if the advance vote this year will favor Democrats as it has in the past. Voters don’t register by party in Georgia.
Polls are closing soon in 6 states
At 4 p.m. PST, polls will close in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia, though some areas of Indiana and Kentucky closed at 6 p.m.
At 4:30 p.m. PST, polls will close in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.
Vermont’s Republican governor says he voted for Harris
Phil Scott, Vermont’s Republican governor, told reporters outside his polling place that he voted for Harris over Trump, his party’s presidential candidate.
Scott said it was “not an easy thing to do being the Republcian sitting governor and voting against your party’s nominee,” according to video from NBC 5. But Scott said he “came to the conclusion that I had to put country over party.”
Scott voted for President Joe Biden in 2020.
Musk says his PAC will expand its work after Election Day
Billionaire Elon Musk said his pro-Trump super PAC will continue its work after the election, focusing on the 2026 midterms as well as local prosecutorial races. Musk discussed the future of his America PAC during a live event on his social media platform X. Musk repeated his support for Trump and said that a Trump victory would reflect an electorate eager for change.
“I think there’s a sea change in the country,” said Musk, the owner of Tesla and SpaceX. “I hope I’m not wrong about that.”
Detroit police patrol convention center where ballots are being counted
More than a dozen Detroit police officers were milling around late afternoon inside Huntington Place and in the area immediately outside the doors to the massive convention room where election workers were to count ballots.
Barricades are up outside the room and escalators to and from the area have been shut off.
Everyone entering has to go through metal detectors. Any bags they have are being checked by security.
Detroit police said there were no reported issues inside or outside of Huntington Place. As of 6 p.m. EST, traffic outside the center was light with no protesters in sight.
“It’s all hands on deck,” Deputy Chief Franklin Hayes told The Associated Press last month. “We have a comprehensive plan.”
Pennsylvania officials deny Trump’s cheating claim
Officials associated with both political parties are denying Trump’s claim of “massive cheating” in Philadelphia.
On social media, one of three Philadelphia election board members, Seth Bluestein, a Republican, said there is “absolutely no truth to this allegation. It is yet another example of disinformation.” Voting in the city is “safe and secure,” he said.
Democrat Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Department of State said, “Pennsylvania counties, including Philadelphia, are running a safe and secure election.”
Trump provided no details about the alleged cheating. His spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment about what he meant.
More bomb threats at Atlanta-area polling places
Another metro Atlanta county has seen voting disrupted by bomb threats. About an hour before polls were to close, officials in DeKalb County said they received bomb threats against five polling places.
Officials in the overwhelmingly Democratic suburb said voting had been suspended at those locations until police confirm there are no bombs. County officials say they’re seeking a court order to extend voting, which is routine in Georgia when a polling place is disrupted. Some polling places in Fulton and Gwinnett counties were targeted earlier Tuesday. Those threats were found to be false.
“Rest assured that we are working quickly to ensure every voter will have an opportunity to cast their ballot despite these bomb threats,” DeKalb elections director Keisha Smith said in a statement.