2024 Election Updates: What We Know So Far

Polls Closed in Most States and Projections Continue Rolling In

According to CNN, the last polls closed as of 1:16 a.m. ET. Including Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Alaska. Each candidate needs 270 electoral votes, and the latest projections reflect that Trump is leading with 246 votes while Harris has achieved 187 electoral votes.

CNN's projections are calling Vermont, Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, Rhode Island, Illinois, New York, Colorado, California, Oregon, Hawaii, Virginia, and New Mexico for Harris, and calling Kentucky, West Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri, Indiana, South Carolina, Arkansas, Texas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Louisiana, Utah, Montana, Mississippi, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, and Idaho for Trump.

Latinos Win Governor Seats and More, Including a Historic Win

Analise Ortiz won for Arizona State Senate, LD-24, Delia Ramirez won for U.S. House of Representatives, IL-03, Darren Soto won re-election for U.S. House of Representatives, FL-09, Greg Casar won re-election for U.S. House of Representatives, TX-35, Mary Ann Santos won for Georgia State House, HD-117, Saira Draper won for Georgia House of Representatives, HD-90, Gabby Salinas has made history as the first Latina LGBTQ woman to be elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, HD-96, Jackie Espinosa won Kissimmee Mayor (FL), Gabriella Romero won for State Assembly, AD-109, Kristen Gonzalez won re-election to the New York State Senate, SD-59, Jessica González-Rojas won re-election to the New York State Assembly, AD-34, and Celia Israel won Travis County Tax-Assessor and Collector (TX).

Abortion on the Ballot - Latest Projections

NBC News projects that Question 1 has passed in Maryland, which proposes adding a new article to the state’s Constitution, ensuring a right to reproductive freedom, including decisions related to preventing, continuing, or ending a pregnancy. In New York, they project that Proposition 1 has passed, which is a broad equal rights amendment that would ban discrimination and establish a right to abortion and other reproductive health care. Both of these measures aim to reinforce reproductive rights and equal treatment under state law. As of 1:00 a.m. ET, NBC News projected that Arizona's Proposition 139 has passed, which is set to protect abortion rights up to the point of fetal viability, as well as Nevada's Question 6, set to establish a constitutional right to abortion up to 24 weeks.

Latino Support for Harris Slips Compared to 2020, CNN Exit Poll Shows

CNN’s national exit poll shows that Latino voters are favoring Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump in the election but by a smaller margin than past Democratic candidates. Harris currently holds just over half of Latino voter support, while in 2020, Biden captured around 65%. The shift is especially noticeable among Latino men, with about 54% now backing Trump, compared to their support for Biden in the previous election. For Latina women, around 60% say they voted for Harris, a slight decrease from the 70% who voted for Biden in 2020.

Milwaukee Orders Recount of 30,000 Ballots After Machine Security Issue

According to NBC News, more than 30,000 absentee and early ballots are being recounted in Milwaukee after officials found that 13 vote-counting machines weren’t properly locked. Milwaukee Mayor’s Office Communications Director Jeff Fleming explained at a press conference that the recount was ordered as a safety measure, with no evidence of tampering expected. This recount may push the final count into early Wednesday morning.

Bomb Threats Bring Voting to a Pause at Five DeKalb County Locations

Voting was paused at five locations in DeKalb County, Georgia, after bomb threats were reported, along with two other sites that aren’t polling places. Police are checking all seven locations for safety. CNN reported that DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond stated they’re committed to ensuring that everyone who wants to vote will have the chance to do so, and every vote will count. The county's Office of Voter Registration and Elections announced the temporary suspension of voting at these locations until police confirm they’re safe to reopen. Executive Director Keisha Smith added that the county is seeking a court order to extend voting hours at the affected sites.

High Turnout Among Puerto Ricans and Students Boosts Harris Campaign in Pennsylvania

As reported by CNN, the Harris campaign communicated there’s a strong turnout among Puerto Ricans and students in Pennsylvania, adding to the high overall turnout in Philadelphia. At Lehigh University near Allentown, voting lines stretched to seven hours, prompting the campaign to send supporters to keep students in line and push for extended voting hours. This high turnout of Puerto Ricans specifically could be linked to Trump’s inflammatory rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27, where racist comments were made about Puerto Ricans, Latinos in general, immigrants, and other groups.

Ballot Scanner Software Glitches Lead to Extended Voting Hours in Pennsylvania

As reported by several media outlets, a software glitch affecting ballot scanners in rural Cambria County, Pennsylvania, led to a surge of conspiracy theories about election fraud, despite county officials’ assurances that all votes would be counted. The issue prevented on-site scanning, but voters could still use paper ballots, which would be securely stored and counted later. The county extended voting hours to 10 p.m. to accommodate voters affected by delays. Despite official statements clarifying that the issue was a technical error, election deniers circulated false claims online, comparing the incident to a similar malfunction in Arizona in 2022.

Poder Latinx Helps Ensure Latino Voter Participation in Arizona

In the early hours of Election Day, canvassers from Poder Latinx, a nonprofit focused on building Latino political power, were out in Maricopa County, Arizona, urging residents in predominantly Latino neighborhoods to head to the polls. They planned to continue their efforts until 5 p.m., just before polls closed at 7 p.m., aiming to ensure maximum voter participation. Yadira Sanchez, executive director of Poder Latinx, expressed optimism to a New York Time reporter, noting that Arizona was “on pace to break record turnout.”