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2024 presidential election live updates: Trump and Harris’ race to the White House is in its final stretch

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2024 presidential election live updates: Trump and Harris’ race to the White House is in its final stretch

Doug Emhoff’s ex-wife casts ballot for Harris

Kerstin Emhoff, second gentleman Doug Emhoff’s ex-wife, posted a video casting a vote for Harris.

“I’ve been so moved by watching emotional videos posted by people after voting for Kamala & Tim,” she wrote. “Voting for our daughters, wives, sisters, from red and blue states. This is that moment. I proudly cast my vote for my friend and family Kamala Harris!”

Kerstin Emhoff has been a vocal supporter of Harris’ campaign, including attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.


Results for 2 North Carolina counties delayed briefly as precincts close later

Two counties in battleground North Carolina will delay turning in their results by 30 minutes after the State Board of Elections agreed to extend the close of voting at two precincts due to technical problems there on Tuesday morning.

The board voted to push the closing time at one precinct in Burke County and another precinct in Wilson County to 8 p.m.

According to election officials, likely voters at the Wilson County precinct were unable to cast ballots for almost an hour and a half because a printer needed to generate voter authorization forms wasn’t working. And in Burke County, people couldn’t vote for potentially 30 or 40 minutes when a precinct laptop computer with the official pollbook had a problem.

The state board won’t publish unofficial results from Burke and Wilson counties until voting ends at the precincts. Results in the state’s other 98 counties can be reported at the normal closing time.

Jacksonville voters briefly diverted after suspicious package found in polling place

By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER


Voters arriving at a polling place in Jacksonville, Florida, were diverted to another voting location for a short time Tuesday after a suspicious package was found outside.

Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland said in an email that about 20 voters were sent to other locations for about 40 minutes before operations at the polling place resumed. The package ended up being the personal belongings of a homeless person, he said.

Voters turn to meditation and emo music to decompress

As ballots come in, Americans are taking a deep breath. Literally.

“The collective energy, the collective anxiety is real,” said Molly Cellon, as she led an Election Day meditation session at The Lynx independent bookstore in Gainesville, Fla. “All we really have control of is our bodies, our breath,” she said.

In Los Angeles, the Crenshaw United Methodist Church is holding a “sing-in” for residents to find “hope and harmony in song” until the polls close on Tuesday night.

Music lovers in Somerville, Massachusettes, have a different way to blow off steam — an emo election-night concert at a local warehouse venue billed as an “antidoomscrolling event.”


Denver-area authorities look into ballot issues at adult day care facility

Voting machines malfunction in central Iowa county

For 5th consecutive presidential election, Dow Jones gained on Election Day

It’s now five consecutive presidential year election days that have been winners on Wall Street.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished at 42,221.88 on Tuesday, up 427.48 points from Monday’s close. That’s a 1% percent climb.

And history says it could have been predicted. Here’s what the Dow did on Election Day for the four most recent presidential races:

  • Nov. 3, 2020 – Up 554.98, 2.1%
  • Nov. 8, 2016 – Up 73.14, 0.4%
  • Nov. 6, 2012 – Up 133.24, 1.0%
  • Nov. 4, 2008 – Up 305.45, 3.28%

The last time there was a down day on Wall Street on Election Day during a presidential year was Nov. 2, 2004, and it was nominal. The Dow fell 18.66 points that day to 10,035.73.


Harris: ‘This truly represents the best of who we are’

Kamala Harris used her visit to a phone bank hosted by the Democratic National Committee on Tuesday to both thank the supporters working to turn out the vote and make calls herself.

“This truly represents the best of who we are,” Harris told the supporters making calls at the phone bank. She was then handed a cell phone and joined in the phone bank.

“I am well,” Harris told the person. “Have you voted already?”

The person responded, to which Harris said, “You did? Thank you.”

Harris urges North Carolinians who haven’t voted to get going

“The path to the White House runs through North Carolina,” Harris said in an interview on Raleigh’s Foxy 107.1. “And it’s a tight race. We are tied. Every vote matters.”

Harris told host Karen Clark she plans to work the phones until polls close to get out every vote she can.

“This is about turning the page and bringing in a new generation of leadership for America,” Harris said.


Harris visits Democratic National Committee phone bank in Washington on Election Day


In Richmond, Virginia, Electoral Board removes precinct chief over complaints

In Richmond, Virginia, the local Electoral Board held an emergency meeting to remove a precinct chief.

Board Chair Starlet Stevens said in a telephone interview that 11 voters were given ballots that only had the presidential race and not local races.

Because they cast the ballots, they were unable to redo their votes with the correct ballots.

Stevens said the Board voted to remove the precinct chief not for the error but because the chief was being “disrespectful.”

The Board also received a complaint that the precinct chief refused to help a person who wanted to vote curbside, something that Virginia law allows for anyone 65 and older or physically disabled.

Election stressed? Here’s what some experts recommend

Three out of four American adults believe this election is vital for the future of democracy. They believe that the stakes are high — and for some, so are their stress levels.

But there’s more you can do than doomscroll and hold your breath between news alerts.

Some experts advise using meditation and mindfulness to ease their stress. Headspace, a mental health company and app, has a whole series of guided meditations called its “politics without panic” collection.

It’s also important to be mindful of news intake and social media use and vetting news sources to ensure you’re not consuming inflammatory misinformation. Experts said “self-care” is critical, too, including eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep.

Churches also are drawing on meditation and breathing practices to help their congregants.

At an Episcopal church in Pennsylvania’s heartland, the Rev. David Peck has led a weekly gathering called “Contemplative Citizenship,” in which guides apply ancient techniques of prayer and meditation that enable people to respond to conflict more deliberately.

‘My faith in this country has been so restored,’ Walz says of 2024 experience

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told reporters Tuesday that his experience as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate “restored” his faith in the nation.

“This is truly a remarkable thing we do every four years,” he said in a conversation with reporters outside his campaign plane. “It’s democracy. It’s messy. It’s beautiful. It’s the people.”

“My faith in this country has been so restored,” he added.

Walz said he had not talked with Harris on Election Day but projected confidence that they would prevail over former President Donald Trump.

“I just can’t describe the difference in the vibe that is out there with folks and how hungry they are for something different,” he said.


Voter Voice: A 90-year-old voter says politics has never been more broken

Audrey Wesley, 90, has voted in more presidential elections than she can count off the top of her head.

At a polling location in central Minneapolis, Wesley said Trump’s possible return to the White House has spoiled her view of American politics.

“I can’t believe a man that has done this much against the law can even be running for president,” Wesley said. “Our system is broken.”

Wesley hopes a Trump loss will usher in a bipartisan resurgence after the election. She voted for Harris because the vice president promised to reach across the aisle.

“Once the election is over, it used to be where they did work to try to make it better for everybody whether you were a Democrat or a Republican,” Wesley said. “But now it just seems to be more important to win. I vote all the time, but I’m very unhappy with the system.”

For funny man Ken Jeong, this Election Day is serious

Ken Jeong says it’s been “emotional” making Election Day calls to Democrats in swing states for more than four hours as part of the Kamala Harris campaign’s get-out-the-vote effort. (Nov. 5)

Ken Jeong is funny. But not on Election Day. Today, he’s serious.

The actor and comedian (who also is a doctor) was working the phone banks to support Harris, calling voters to make last-minute pushes in Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina and Georgia.

“It’s been quite inspiring,” Jeong said. “I’ve never been on something like this on such a grand scale.”

Jeong said most of the people he called didn’t know who he was, but he randomly connected with a man in Michigan who had attended one of his standup shows.

And some of the people he called didn’t agree with him politically, which Jeong had no problem with.

“Even on these phone calls and phone banking, I listen to opinions that are completely different from mine,” Jeong said. “And I don’t discount anybody.”

Do you want more Steve Kornacki? Peacock has you covered tonight

The super-popular NBC News National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki will be part of a multiview experience put together by Peacock and expected to last until around 2 a.m.

Also part of the multiview (basically, some of the same technology that NBC utilized during the Paris Olympics) is a livestream of NBC News coverage and analysis, projected Electoral College results — and lots and lots of Kornacki, who’ll be at his big board to break down all the numbers.

“We’re caffeinating and hydrating him. We’re making sure he’s eating,” NBC’s Craig Melvin wrote on X. “@SteveKornacki, the national treasure, is rested and eager for his quadrennial Super Bowl.”


Activists are working to get Georgia absentee ballots to the polls

Voting rights activists were canvassing in Cobb County, Georgia, trying to reach thousands of voters who received their absentee ballots late to tell them Nov. 5 is the deadline to return the ballots or vote in person.

The Georgia Supreme Court ruled Monday that the deadline for returning the ballots would not be extended.

Cobb County, just north of Atlanta, didn’t mail out absentee ballots to some 3,400 voters who had requested them until late last week. A judge in a lower court ruled that the ballots at issue could be counted if they’re received by this Friday, three days after Election Day, as long as they were postmarked by Tuesday.

“We have people in Cobb County trying to let people know they need to get their ballots in or get to the polls today,” said Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which filed a lawsuit on behalf of three Cobb County voters.

The 3,400 votes could be significant in a state that was decided by fewer than 12,000 in 2020.

Michigan polling place closes over gas leak

Officials in Northville, Michigan, closed a polling place at midday and sent voters to another precinct in the Detroit suburb because of a natural gas leak.

Consumers Energy was investigating the leak.


Corrected ballots are en route to an Alabama county after a missing page was discovered

Ballots sent to some polling locations in St. Clair County, Alabama for Tuesday’s election were missing a state amendment and a local amendment, local probate judge Andrew Weathington said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Weathington said that the first round of corrected ballots had been ordered from Birmingham and estimated that they would arrive just before 2 p.m.

“I’m as frustrated as anybody, and I understand that we have to take off work and all that stuff to go vote. And I apologize. I don’t know what else to say other than we’re very, very sorry,” Weathington said.

The local circuit court judge ordered polling locations across the country to stay open for two additional hours this evening, until 9 p.m. to accommodate the error. Weathington said ballots that had already been cast would still be counted.

There are just over 95,000 residents in St. Clair County, according to the 2023 U.S. Census.

Officials warned residents to continue to expect long lines at polling locations. Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen said in an email that his office is aware of the delays and stressed that his office is not involved in inspecting and printing the ballots.

Clyburn speaks with Biden, discusses the ‘bookends’ of his White House journey

WATCH: How the Electoral College works

By The Associated Press


Explaining Election Day: How the Electoral College works


FBI says bomb threats to several states came from Russian email domains, deemed non-credible

The FBI did not identify the states in question, but Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said earlier Tuesday that the state’s election process had snuffed out some bomb threats that he said came from Russia.

Officials in Fulton County, Georgia, said they received “multiple calls” and the threats forced a brief closure of two polling places.

The bomb threats were among multiple disturbances that U.S. officials are tracking.

But Cait Conley, a senior adviser to the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told reporters on a call Tuesday there were no national-level security incidents that were threatening to disrupt the election on a wide scale.

Officials continue to warn of what they say is an unprecedented level of foreign influence and disinformation that they expect will persist beyond Election Day.


Voter Voice: 1st-time voter sees Trump as in alignment with her spiritual values

First-time voter Jasmine Perez, 26, voted at the Las Vegas Raiders’ stadium and cast her ballot for Trump.

Her reason: She sees him in alignment with her spiritual values.

“What really attracted me to Donald Trump is I’m a Christian and he really aligns with a lot of my values as a Christian in America, and I like that he openly promotes Christianity in America,” Perez said.

Perez says she still feels some anxiety about the election.

Voting alongside her was Diego Zubek, 27, who voted for Trump in 2016 and didn’t vote in 2020 because he figured Trump would win easily. He voted for Trump again this year.

“I wasn’t going to let that happen again, wasn’t going to let the steal happen again,” Zubek said.

Another way that Trump is very ‘on line’

Netanyahu chooses US Election Day to fire rival Yoav Gallant

Police have arrested a man trying to enter the US Capitol with a torch and flare gun

U.S. Capitol Police say the man was stopped Tuesday during a security screening at the Capitol Visitor Center. Authorities say he smelled of fuel and was carrying the flare gun and torch.

Officials have canceled public tours of the Capitol for the remainder of the day.

Police say they are still investigating.

The arrest comes as authorities are on heightened alert for security issues around the nation’s capital and have increased patrols in areas downtown and near the White House around Election Day. Nearly four years ago, a mob of Donald Trump’s supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.


Clemson’s Dabo Swinney lost a game last weekend, but not his right to vote

Democracy is great, but so are free doughnuts (and today, you can get both)


How much does Tony Hinchcliffe have riding on this election?

Only a slice of America knew Tony Hinchcliffe before he took the stage at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in late October.

But what the comic said that night — namely calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” — not only made him known nationwide but also thrust him into the core of presidential politics.

While the Trump campaign attempted to distance itself from the joke, the Republican candidate never apologized, allowing Harris to take full advantage. Democrats cite that joke, and its aftermath, as the turning point in their effort to win over late-deciding voters.

Harris pressed this advantage on Monday, using precious time in her final day on the campaign trail to rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a city with a large Puerto Rican community, and to drive over an hour to Reading to visit a Puerto Rican restaurant.

Hinchcliffe, in the immediate aftermath of the joke, accused Democrats of having “no sense of humor” and wrote that he “made fun of everyone.” He hasn’t tweeted since.

If Trump loses and Hinchcliffe’s joke is a turning point, his appearance could go down as the most influential comedy set of all time.

Kamala Harris cheers end of Boeing machinist strike that idled assembly lines for 7 weeks

The agreement struck with the International Association of Machinists on the eve of Election Day includes a 38% wage increase for workers over four years, and ratification and productivity bonuses.

Boeing refused to meet strikers’ demand to restore a company pension plan that was frozen nearly a decade ago.

“I want to congratulate Boeing and the IAM for reaching an agreement that secures historic wage increases and benefits for these workers,” Harris said in a statement. “This agreement represents a positive step for Boeing’s future as a leader in the aerospace industry. As I always say: collective bargaining works.”

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Boeing workers hand out flyers to other employees, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, at the Aerospace Machinists Union hall in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

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Union machinist Terry Muriekes waves a Halloween-decorated strike sign by Boeing’s Everett, Wash., factory on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)

WATCH: Trump says Republicans showing up at polls in force

By The Associated Press


Trump has cast his ballot in Palm Beach, Florida and says his latest presidential campaign was the best yet. “It looks like Republicans have shown up in force,” he said.


In some states, there’s an Election Day music soundtrack

There’s one way to make a long line at a polling place seem like it’s moving a bit faster: Play music.

In four battleground states — Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania — the non-partisan group Joy to the Polls has DJs and performers out and about, helping voters pass the time.

In Arizona this morning, voters at one location stood in line (and, yes, a few tapped their feet) to the sounds of Queen, Arrested Development, Freddie Jackson and more.

Part of the group’s mantra: “You bring the vote, we bring the music!”


Trump refuses to say how he voted on Florida’s abortion ballot measure

Election day voting is going mostly smoothly with some scattered issues


Election Day voting unfolded largely smoothly across the nation Tuesday but with scattered reports of extreme weather, ballot printing errors and technical problems causing delays.

Most of the hiccups occurring by mid-day were “largely expected routine and planned-for events,” said Cait Conley, senior adviser to the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, in a press briefing. She said the agency was not currently tracking any national, significant incidents impacting election security.

Helping voting run relatively smoothly on Election Day was the fact that tens of millions of Americans had already cast their ballots. Those included record numbers of voters in Georgia, North Carolina and other battleground states that could decide the winner.

Read more about how Election Day is going so far

Voters in Butler recall assassination attempt on Trump as they head to the polls

In the small county seat of Butler, Pennsylvania, voter turnout was brisk at city center precincts, just a few miles from where Trump survived an assassination attempt on July 13.

Voters and an elections official said the process was going smoothly.

Several voters were about evenly split between Trump and Harris, even as surrounding neighborhoods and countryside were overwhelmingly marked with Trump signs and flags, some depicting a photo of him raising his fist in the moments after the shooting.

Elizabeth Nanni said she voted for Harris, saying the candidate is “infinitely smarter “ than her opponent, though she voted Republican in some down-ballot races.

Like others, she said Butler still feels the trauma of July 13.

“We’re not used to having people shot and killed in Butler,” she said. “Hopefully that will be the first and last time anything like that happens here.”

Louis Fell, who voted for Trump, said he didn’t think the shooting changed anyone’s decision about whom to vote for, but it affected the community.

“I feel more connected to the whole thing. We’re not just a small town in the middle of nowhere,” he said.

WATCH: Some states run their elections differently

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


The U.S. general election this November will decide the country’s direction, but it is far from a nationally administered contest. Here’s a look at some notable caveats, edge cases, and oddities in certain states for the 2024 election.


What is a provisional ballot?


In upstate New York, a mock election by kids matches the 2020 result

Hamilton County, in upstate New York’s Adirondack Mountains, has the smallest population of any county in the Empire State. It had about 3,400 voters in the 2020 presidential election and 64% voted for Trump.

This gave Indian Lake Central School social studies teacher Eric McCauliffe an idea.

“I was interested to see how in tune with policies the students were and if their votes would be reflective of Hamilton County,” McCauliffe said.

So, he set up a mock election that took place in school on Tuesday. No names were listed, just policies. Seniors were enlisted to research the policies in their government class to help organize the mock election.

The results are in.

In Indian Lake, 64% of the kids picked Trump — perfectly matching how the adults there voted four years ago.

PHOTOS: Voters wait in the rain to cast their ballots


Man arrested in upstate New York after threatening to burn down a polling site

The man went to vote in the town of Fowler near the Canadian border at about 6:30 a.m., New York State Police said in a news release.

The man, who had previously been convicted of a felony, was told that he was ineligible to vote because he had not re-registered after being released from prison.

The man became irate and began threatening to return with a gun or to burn the place down, police said.

The man fled but was later picked up by state police and brought to the station for questioning. Charges against him were pending.

Beyoncé channels Pam Anderson for ‘BEYWATCH’ video, asks viewers to vote

In the two-and-a-half minute clip, set to most of “Bodyguard,” a cut from her 2024 country album “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé channels the blonde bombshell — red one-piece swimsuit and all — before concluding with a simple message, written in white text: “Happy Beylloween,” followed by “Vote.”

At a rally in Pittsburgh Monday night, Donald Trump spoke dismissively about Beyoncé’s appearance at a Kamala Harris rally in Houston last month, drawing boos for the megastar from his supporters.

“Beyoncé would come in. Everyone’s expecting a couple of songs. There were no songs. There was no happiness,” Trump said.

She did not perform — unlike in 2016 when she performed at a presidential campaign rally for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland — but she endorsed Harris and gave a moving speech.

“I’m not here as a celebrity, I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother,” Beyoncé said. “A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided.”

The Harris campaign has taken on Beyonce’s track “Freedom,” a cut from her landmark 2016 album “Lemonade,” as its anthem.

Trump is suggesting he won’t challenge the results of the election — as long as it’s fair

By ADRIANA GÓMEZ LICÓN


“If it’s a fair election, I’d be the first one to acknowledge,” the results, Trump said, though what meets that definition wasn’t clear.

Speaking to reporters after voting in Florida, Trump said that he had no plans to tell his supporters to refrain from violence should he lose.

“I don’t have to tell them,” because they “are not violent people,” he said.

Trump planned to visit a nearby campaign office to thank those working on his behalf.


Trump says paper ballots and 1-day voting should be the norm

“I’m hearing in Pennsylvania they won’t have an answer ‘til two or three days from now,” Trump said. “I think it’s an absolute outrage if that’s the case.”

Trump says he will have “a very special group of people” at Mar-a-Lago and a few thousand people at a nearby convention center to watch the election results.

“It looks like we have a very substantial lead,” he said without elaborating on whether he has a plan on when to declare victory.


Brian Williams’ election night streamcast on Amazon has been forced to change plans

Voter Voice: ‘Without him, things in Florida might not happen’

In Palm Beach, Florida, Marilyn Falotico said she believes Trump is the president who will deliver best for the Sunshine State and the rest of the country.

“Without him, things in Florida might not happen,” Falotico said.

Falotico says the country she’s living in “is not the country I was born into, so I’m voting for America.”


Trump says ‘I feel very confident’ after casting his ballot


After software problems, voting hours will be extended in a Pennsylvania county

By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI


A Pennsylvania state judge on Tuesday ordered polls to remain open for two extra hours in Cambria County, which sought the extension after a software malfunction affected ballot-scanning machines.

County officials said the problem caused some voter confusion, with some leaving without casting a ballot, as well as long lines at some locations. They stressed, along with state officials, that no one was being turned away from the polls and all ballots would be counted.

WATCH: JD Vance casts his ballot in Ohio

By The Associated Press


Republican VP candidate JD Vance voted in Cincinnati on Election Day, expressing confidence in the outcome and reminding both sides that we are “fundamentally on the same team.”


Markets rally, signaling a solid US economy

As Americans head to the polls, investors cheered the latest evidence of a strong U.S. economy, boosting the stock market.

The S&P 500 was up 1% in midday trading, rising closer to its record set last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 334 points, or 0.8%, as of 11:35 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 1.3% higher.

Investors are closely tracking the election. If the results are unclear or contested, it could disrupt the market. Investors tend to prefer a party split between the White House and the houses of Congress because massive swings in policy — especially things that would balloon the deficit — can slow the economy.

The economy is a top issue for voters, many of whom have had to contend with rising grocery prices and a housing and rental market that is growing more unaffordable. But voters are split on which candidate would be better for the economy.

Harris has focused her economic message on housing affordability, boosting the child tax credit for families with newborns, and raising taxes on the affluent.

Trump wants to cut taxes for corporations, raise tariffs and end income taxes on social security benefits. Economists have warned his proposal to raise tariffs could worsen inflation and drive up prices.

The Trumps cast their ballots in Palm Beach

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