🗽 Midterms 2018 Live Updates – Some Races Still Too Close to Call

1:20pm ET: Senator Tester ekes out re-election in Montana, two Senate seats still undecided.

Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) is projected to hold off a challenge from Republican Matt Rosendale in the Big Sky State. That ensures the GOP will control no more than 54 seats depending on what happens in races where the outcome hasn't been decided.

In Arizona, it's still too close to call between Reps. Martha McSally (R) and Kyrsten Sinema (D) and vote counting may continue into Thursday.

And over in Mississippi, voters will get a chance to vote for senator again on November 27 when Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) faces off against Mike Espy (D) in a runoff.

There's also the possibility of a recount in the Florida Senate race, which Sen. Bill Nelson (D) has called for after Gov. Rick Scott declared victory last night.

11:00am ET: NAACP says some Georgia voting machines aren’t counting votes for Democrat Stacey Abrams.

• The NAACP is accusing election officials in Georgia of bungling votes in the gubernatorial race, saying in a complaint Tuesday that voting machines mistakenly showed votes intended for Democrat Stacey Abrams as votes for Republican Brain Kemp.
• Voters were able to correct their ballots after repeated attempts, according to USA Today.

10:40am ET: Multiple California House races still uncalled.

• Multiple high-profile House races in California have not been called.
• Mail-in ballots count as long as they’re received by Friday.
• Counting in some of these races could continue for another week or longer.

10:20am ET: Florida Senate race going to recount.

• Florida Sen. Bill Nelson (D) said Wednesday that his close contest with Republican opponent Gov. Rick Scott is “proceeding to a recount,” even though Scott declared victory last night.
• More than 8.1 million people voted in the race. Nelson, a three-term incumbent, trailed behind Scott on Wednesday by a margin of less than .05 percent, according to the Associated Press.
• The margin appears to have triggered a recount under Florida state law.

10:10am ET: Dems narrowly win Connecticut governor's race.

Republican Bob Stefanowski on Wednesday morning conceded a tight race for governor of Connecticut to Democrat Ned Lamont.

9:40am ET: Jim Jordan announces bid for House minority leader.

• Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and a staunch ally of President Trump, said Wednesday that he would challenge Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to become House minority leader.
• Jordan criticized current GOP leadership and said the party needs to fight harder for its principles.

9:35am ET: Georgia races for governor, secretary of state could be headed for runoffs.

• Georgia is one of a number of states that require a runoff if no candidate receives a majority of the vote in a primary election, but Georgia is unique in also applying this rule to the general election.
• While Kemp was just shy of 51 percent as reported votes approached 3.8 million, according to the Associated Press, the Abrams campaign said there were too many outstanding ballots to certify a result. Abrams pointed in particular to absentee and provisional ballots that had yet to be counted.
• If an absolute majority isn’t reached, there will be a runoff vote on December 4 in a race that has been fraught with voting irregularities and accusations of voter suppression.
• Georgia’s secretary of state race also appear to be poised for a runoff, with neither Republican Brad Raffensperger nor Democrat John Barrow receiving more than half of Tuesday’s vote. 

8:40am ET: Marijuana gains support.

• Four more states legalized marijuana for recreational or medical use.
• Voters in Michigan legalized recreational marijuana, making it the 10th state in the nation and the first state in the Midwest to do so.
• In both Utah and Missouri, voters legalized marijuana for medical purposes ― the 31st and 32nd states to approve medical cannabis.
• In North Dakota, voters rejected a measure that would have legalized recreational marijuana.

8:35am ET: Dennis Hof, dead brothel owner, wins in Nevada.

• Dennis Hof, a Nevada brothel owner and reality TV star who died last month after fashioning himself as a Donald Trump-style Republican candidate, won a heavily GOP state legislative district.
• Hof was found dead on October 16 after a weekend of parties celebrating his 72nd birthday.
• The fact that Hof is no longer alive didn't deter voters from handing him a victory in Nevada's 36th Assembly District.
• County officials will appoint a Republican to take his place in the seat.

8:30am ET: Climate and energy have mixed results.

• Arizonans rejected Proposition 127, which would have required electric utilities in Arizona to derive an increasing percentage of their electricity from renewable resources, up to 50 percent in 2030.
• Coloradans said no to Proposition 112, which would have required such strict setbacks for fracking wells as to preclude drilling in about 95 percent of the state. 
• Florida banned oil drilling and exploration in state-controlled waters off its coasts.
• Washington voters defeated Proposition 1631, a carbon-tax initiative that was viewed by some as a bellweather testing the nation's openness to such ideas.

8:20am ET: Nevada ditches its "tampon tax."

• Nevada became the 10th state to eliminate its so-called “tampon tax,” exempting menstrual products from state sales taxes.
• Voters approved State Question No. 2, meaning Nevada consumers will be able to buy sanitary pads and tampons without paying the state’s 6.85 percent sales tax.

8:00am ET: Dems pick up seven governor seats, some House and Senate races still too close to call.

• Democrats have gained at least seven governor seats, including in Wisconsin, Kansas, and other key Midwest states, while the GOP won one of the nation’s most competitive gubernatorial races in Florida.
• In Florida's Senate race, former Republican governor Rick Scott is up on Democrat incumbent Bill Nelson 50.2 percent to 49.8 percent with 100 percent reporting. Scott has declared victory, but the race is statistically too close to call and an automatic recount will take place if the margin of victory remains less than 0.5 percent.
• In Montana's Senate race, incumbent Democrat Jon Tester is down 48.2 percent to 48.9 percent against Republican challenger Matt Rosendale with about 82 percent reporting, and the race still too close to call.
• In Texas' 32nd district, the AP withdrew its call for Republican incumbent Will Hurd at 4:00 a.m. ET. The margin between him and Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones is only about 700 votes.

7:30am ET: Rosen wins Nevada, Arizona Senate race too close to call, Georgia gubernatorial race may go to runoff.

• Rep. Jacky Rosen won her bid to unseat Republican Sen. Dean Heller in Nevada, delivering a key Senate pick up for Democrats.
• The Arizona race remains too close to call, although Republican Martha McSally has a slight lead. An official victor may not be known for days — and maybe longer, if the final tally triggers a recount or legal challenge.
• In Georgia's closely watched gubernatorial race, Democrat Stacy Abrams has refused to concede, and no major outlets are calling the race yet. While Republican Brian Kemp currently has a slight majority at 50.5 percent, an estimated 77,000 early and mailed-in ballots have not yet been counted, many of which are from historically blue precincts. The possibility remains that these could tip the scales in favor of Abrams, who has raised the possibility of a runoff. A lawsuit filed Tuesday in a Georgia federal court by five state voters asked a judge to strip Kemp of his powers over the midterm election — including any potential runoffs.

1am ET: Democrats will pick up at least 24 House seats and Republicans will gain at least three Seats in the Senate.

We're wrapping up our live blog. We'll be back tomorrow morning with what you can expect from a Democrat-controlled House and results from some of the major state ballot measures.

We'll also update you on the Senate races too close to call right now: Nevada and Arizona.

See you tomorrow morning, all. Thanks for keeping us company this Election Day.

—Josh Herman, Sara E. Murphy, and Eric Revell

12:51am ET: Republican Rep. Steve King has won re-election in Iowa.

Iowa GOP Rep. Steve King had been criticized of late for racially offensive comments and ties to white supremacist organizations. This didn't prevent him from winning his re-election bid, fending off Democratic challenger J.D. Scholten.

12:40am ET: Trump congratulates victors.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders just sent out this statement:

"Tonight, President Trump called [Republican] Leader Mitch McConnell to congratulate him on the historic Senate gains. He also spoke with Speaker Paul Ryan and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. The President called to congratulate [Republicans] Rick Scott, Mike DeWine, Kevin Cramer, Josh Hawley, Brian Kemp, and Ron DeSantis. Lastly, the President talked to [Democratic] Senator Chuck Schumer. He and the Vice-president will continue to make calls tonight and tomorrow."

12:30am ET: Florida's Republican Governor Rick Scott ousts Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson.

Nelson had occupied the seat for 18 years. This further expands the GOP's majority in the Senate.

12:20am ET: States pass voter ID laws, minimum wage hikes, legalize pot.

Here's the latest on where various state ballot measures stand:

Alabama

Passed: Amendment 2: Declaring that the state’s policy is to support the “right to life” for unborn children.

Arkansas

Passed: Issue 2: Requiring voters to provide valid photo ID to cast non-provisional ballots or vote absentee.

Passed: Issue 5: Raising the minimum wage to $11 in 2021.

Colorado

Passed: Amendment Y: Establishing an independent redistricting commission.

Florida

Passed: Amendment 6: Providing crime victims with constitutional rights, raising the judicial retirement age, and prohibiting state courts from deferring to administrative agencies’ statutory interpretations.

Georgia

Passed: Amendment 4: Providing crime victims with constitutional rights.

Idaho

Passed: Proposition 2: Expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare).

Kentucky

Passed: Marsy’s Law Crime Victims RIghts Amendment: Providing crime victims with constitutional rights.

Louisiana

Passed: Amendment 1: Prohibiting convicted felons (unless pardoned) from running for or holding public office until five years after the completion of their sentence.

Maryland

Passed: Question 2: Allowing for same-day voter registration.

Massachusetts

Passed: Question 3: Upholding the state law prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity.

Michigan

Passed: Proposal 1: Legalizing the recreational use and possession of marijuana for adults over 21.

Passed: Proposal 2: Establishing an independent redistricting commission.

Missouri

Passed: Amendment 2: Legalizing medical marijuana and taxing it 4% to fund veterans services.

Passed: Proposition B: Raising the minimum wage to $12 in 2023.

Montana

Passed: I-185: Extending the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and raising tobacco taxes to help fund it.

North Carolina

Passed: Voter ID Amendment: Requiring voters to present a photo ID to vote in person.

Utah

Passed: Proposition 2: Legalizing medical marijuana.

Passed: Proposition 3: Expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and raising sales taxes.

Washington

Passed: Initiative 1639: Raising the age to buy ‘assault rifles’ to 21 and requiring a 10 day wait period.

12:00am ET: Senate Republicans add to their majority.

Speaking of Florida, having already flipped Democratic Senate seats in North Dakota, Indiana, and Missouri, Republicans ousted one more incumbent after Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) defeated Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL).

11:50pm ET: Florida bans offshore oil & gas drilling, indoor vaping.

Florida's Amendment 9, which bundles a ban on oil & gas drilling in state waters with a ban on indoor vaping, has passed with the support of two-thirds of voters.

11:15pm ET: North Carolina to require voter ID.

North Carolina voters have approved an amendment to their state's constitution that would require voters to present a voter ID to cast a ballot in person.

11:10pm ET: Republicans prevail in key governors races.

Former Congressman Ron DeSantis (R) will become the next Florida governor after Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum conceded.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine (R) defeated former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray (D) to keep the Ohio governor's mansion in GOP hands.

11:05pm ET: AP calls the House for Democrats.

The Associated Press has joined Fox News in projecting that Democrats will enough seats to take control of the House, although the size of their majority is still unclear.

11:00pm ET: Republicans have retained the Senate.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz has kept his Senate seat, while Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer is on track to win the Senate race in North Dakota against incumbent Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. Add to that the defeat of Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) by challenger Josh Hawley (R-MO), and the Democrats path to even a divided Senate evaporates.

This means Senate GOPers will be able to continue confirming and appointing conservative judges.

10:45pm ET: Michigan to legalize recreational pot, Arkansas to require a photo ID to vote.

• Arkansas gave a "Yea" to Issue 2: Requiring voters to provide valid photo ID to cast non-provisional ballots or vote absentee.
• Michigan will pass Proposal 1: Legalizing the recreational use and possession of marijuana for adults over 21.

10:30pm ET: With 30 minutes until polls close on the West Coast, it looks like Republicans will keep the Senate while Democrats will regain control of the House.

With Republican Sen. Ted Cruz on track to win Texas, beating Democrat Beto O'Rourke, Republicans are projected to keep the upper chamber.

10:20pm ET: Fox News has predicted Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer will unseat Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota.

Democrats had expected Heitkamp to lose her seat.

10:15pm ET: Mitt Romney wins a Utah Senate seat.

Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has won a seat at the Senate.

10:05pm ET: Ocasio-Cortez becomes youngest woman ever elected to Congress, Polis becomes first openly gay governor, and climate advocate Curbelo loses Florida.

• CNN has called New York Democratic congressional nominee Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to win her general election race and become the youngest woman ever in Congress.
• Jared Polis has won the Colorado governor’s race, making him the first openly gay man to become governor in U.S. history.
• Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Florida lost re-election to his Democratic challenger, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. Curbelo, a two-term Republican, was a top target for Democrats and considered a bellwether of a blue wave. The outcome also represents a loss for the Climate Solutions Caucus, a bipartisan House caucus Curbelo founded in 2016.

10:00pm ET: Polls closed in Iowa, Montana, Nevada, and Utah.

Races we’re watching: Senate races in Montana and Nevada; Iowa’s House race.

Why? Nevada is a “must-win” for Democrats to take control of the Senate—Hillary Clinton carried it in 2016 with a GOP Senate incumbent.

Trump won Montana by 20 points in 2016, though Democratic Sen. Jon Tester is still slightly ahead in the polls.

Iowa GOP Rep. Steve King has been criticized of late for racially offensive comments and ties to white supremacist organizations.

Props we’re watching:

Montana

I-185: Extending the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and raising tobacco taxes to help fund it.

LR-129: Banning ballot harvesting.

Nevada

Question 1: Providing crime victims with constitutional rights.

Question 2: Exempting feminine hygiene products from sales taxes.

Question 3: Requiring the elimination of monopolies in the energy market.

Question 4: Exempting medical equipment from sales taxes.

Question 5: Providing for automatic voter registration at the DMV.

Question 6: Increasing the state renewable energy mandate to 50% of electricity generation by 2030.

Utah

Proposition 2: Legalizing medical marijuana.

Proposition 3: Expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and raising sales taxes.

Proposition 4: Establishing an independent redistricting commission.

9:50pm ET: Fox News calls House for Democrats, CNN not so sure.

Fox News has called the House for the Democrats, while CNN isn't so sure.

According to Fox News:

"Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives for the first time in eight years, Fox News projects, dealing a major setback to President Trump’s legislative agenda and giving fresh hope to liberals who want to investigate and perhaps even impeach the president."

According to CNN:

"With numbers still flowing in this evening, CNN’s Jake Tapper said that results so far do not indicate the 'blue wave; many Democrats had hoped for and predicted.

'It’s entirely possible that the Democrats will regain control of the House today, but I have to say, when you look at what’s going on here tonight, this is not a blue wave,' he said. 'This is not a wave that is knocking out all sorts of Republican incumbents.'

9:45pm ET: Amy Klobuchar (D) wins the Minnesota Senate race.

• Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) was reelected over Republican opponent Jim Newberger.
• She was widely expected to do so. Klobuchar held a consistently high lead over Newberger throughout the race.
• The first female senator elected in Minnesota, Klobuchar has held her seat since 2006.

9:35pm ET: Rauner concedes to Pritzker in Illinois governor’s race.

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner has conceded to Democrat J.B. Pritzker in the Illinois governor race. The Hyatt hotel heir’s victory likely puts his party in near total control of state government by limiting the governor to a single term, according to The Chicago Tribune.

9:32pm ET: Florida voters approve ballot measure allowing ex-felons to vote.

• Floridians approved a constitutional amendment that will automatically restore voting rights to 1.5 million ex-felons who have already completed their sentences, except for those convicted of murder or sex crimes.
• This comes after numerous unsuccessful legislative attempts and a Supreme Court appeal that sought to overturn the Jim Crow-era law.
• The ballot measure, which has received bipartisan support, will enfranchise more people at once than any other other single initiative since the women’s suffrage movement and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Vox explains.

9:30pm ET: Rashida Tlaib is the first Muslim woman elected to Congress.

• Rashida Tlaib, who ran unopposed in Michigan, will be the first Muslim woman to serve in Congress.
• Tlaib, a Palestinian-American, ran for John Conyers' open seat, after he left Congress amid allegations of sexual harassment.

9:25pm ET: Manchin retains West Virginia Senate seat for Democrats, Braun beats Donnelly, flips Indiana to Senate GOP.

• Republican Mike Braun defeated Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly in Indiana, flipping a key Senate seat coveted by the GOP for six years.
• Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin won reelection in West Virginia, beating Republican state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and denying the GOP a Senate pickup in a state President Donald Trump carried by a huge margin in 2016.

9:20pm ET: GOP's Marsha Blackburn wins Tennessee Senate race.

Fox News and CNN have called Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn as the winner to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Senate, outlasting a challenge from former Gov. Phil Bredesen.

9:15pm ET: Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan wins re-election in deep blue state.

Republican Larry Hogan beat Democrat Ben Jealous to become the state’s first two-term GOP governor since the 1950s, according to Associated Press projections.

9:10pm ET: In Kentucky's 6th Congressional District, Barr defeats McGrath.

Representative Andy Barr, an incumbent Republican, defeated Amy McGrath, one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent challengers, according to The Associated Press.

The contest took on national importance as a proxy for whether Democrats could win over white working class voters in rural areas, and whether women would prevail over the harsh rhetoric and policies of the Trump presidency. Other such proxy races remain open-ended at this time.

9:05pm ET: Sen. Bob Menendez wins reelection in New Jersey.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) won an unusually close race against Republican Bob Hugin. The cloud of Menendez’s 2017 corruption trial hung over New Jersey’s Senate race — a normally safe seat that got uncomfortably close for Democrats as polls between Menendez and Republican challenger Bob Hugin tightened at times.

9:00pm ET: Polls close in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Races we’re watching: Senate races in Texas, Arizona, and North Dakota; two dozen House races.

Why? You’ve likely heard about Texas’ Senate race: Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke vs. Tea Party darling Sen. Ted Cruz. Can a (D) beat an (R) in a deeply red state?

In North Dakota, Democrats are prepping for Sen. Heidi Heitkamp to lose her seat—she’s widely considered the most-vulnerable incumbent senator.

In the Midwest, Democrats are hoping to flip the governor’s mansion in Michigan and Wisconsin—the latter is currently occupied by Gov. Scott Walker.

Props we’re watching:

Arizona

Proposition 126: Prohibiting new or increased taxes on personal services by state & local government.

Proposition 127: Increasing the state’s renewable energy mandate to 50% of electricity generation in 2030.

Colorado

Amendment 73: Adopting a progressive income tax system.

Amendment Y: Establishing an independent redistricting commission.

Louisiana

Amendment 1: Prohibiting convicted felons (unless pardoned) from running for or holding public office until five years after the completion of their sentence.

Amendment 2: Requiring unanimous jury verdicts for felony trials.

Michigan

Proposal 1: Legalizing the recreational use and possession of marijuana for adults over 21.

Proposal 2: Establishing an independent redistricting commission.

Proposal 3: Adding eight voting policies to the state constitution.

Missouri

Amendment 2: Legalizing medical marijuana and taxing it 4% to fund veterans services.

Amendment 3: Legalizing medical marijuana and taxing it 15% to fund medical research.

Proposition B: Raising the minimum wage to $12 in 2023.

Proposition C: Legalizing medical marijuana and taxing it 2%.

Nebraska

Initiative 427: Requiring the state to develop a Medicaid expansion plan under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare).

North Dakota

Measure 2: Amending the state constitution to clarify that only U.S. citizens can vote.

Measure 3: Legalizing recreational marijuana for people 21 years of age or older.

8:40pm ET: 3 close House races called.

Democrats have flipped two House seats that were expected to pose challenges to the Republicans defending them, but the GOP held another:

• Incumbent Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA) has been defeated by Jennifer Wexton (D).
• Former Clinton era HHS Secretary Donna Shalala (D) won the south Florida district vacated by retiring Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), defeating Maria Elvira Salazar.
• Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) defeated former fighter pilot Amy McGrath (D) and to serve a fourth term in Congress.

8:35pm ET: Georgia governor's race draws lawsuit.

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp (R), candidate for governor in a tight race that's currently too close to call, has been hit with a lawsuit to prevent him from having any involvement in activities such as counting votes, certifiying election results, or administering any runoff or recount procedures. The suit was filed by Georgia voters concerned that Kemp's position could lead to a conflict.

It should be noted that if neither candidate wins an outright majority in this election, Kemp and Stacey Abrams (D) would enter a runoff.

8:20pm ET: Several Senate races have been called, but none were expected to be competitive.

Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren (MA), Tim Kaine (VA), Sherrod Brown (OH), Bob Casey (PA), Ben Cardin (MD), and Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) have all won re-election, in addition to Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

8:00pm ET: Polls have closed in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee

Races we’re watching: 30(!) competitive House races; five competitive Senate races; seven major governor races, including Florida's.

Why? Florida is the state to watch this hour, throughout its ballot. At the top: Democrat Andrew Gillum is running against Ron DeSantis to become the Sunshine State’s first African-American governor. Gillum has attracted a grassroots following of young voters and minorities while DeSantis has tied himself closely to Trump.

(D)s are hoping the turnout for Gillum will boost the numbers of incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, who’s locked in a head-to-head race with outgoing Republican Gov. Rick Scott. On the House side, there are a few competitive races where the Democrats hope to pick up seats.

Following Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court-ordered redistricting, Democrats could nab as many as four or five House seats in the state.

New Jersey’s Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez has been dogged by ethics complaints. Though the state leans to the left, the GOP is looking to bump him with businessman Bob Hugin.

Missouri’s Sen. Claire McCaskill is another endangered upper-chamber Democrat.

For the props we're watching, click here.

7:42pm ET: At 7:30pm, polls closed in North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Races we’re watching: Toss-up House races in North Carolina and Ohio; West Virginia’s Senate race.

Why? West Virginia’s Sen. Joe Manchin was one of the few Democrats who voted in favor of confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. He’s expected to hold his seat, but West Virginia voted for Trump in 2016 by 42 percentage points.

Props we’re watching:

North Carolina

Voter ID Amendment: Requiring voters to present a photo ID to vote in person.

Income Tax Cap Amendment: Lowering the state’s maximum income tax.

Marsy’s Law Crime Victims Rights Amendment: Providing crime victims with constitutional rights.

7:40pm ET: Hillary Clinton reminds voters that if you're in line when the polls close, you can still cast a ballot.

7:30pm ET: Guam has elected its first woman governor.

Guam has declared Democrat Lou Leon Guerrero its first woman governor.

7:20pm ET: Judges in Georgia and Texas have authorized certain polling locations to extend their hours for voters.

7:00pm ET: Polls close in several east coast states.

Polls have closed in Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and the rest of Indiana and Kentucky, except for several precincts in Georgia and Indiana where voting hours have been extended due to delays and mix-ups (see below).

6:45pm ET: California Democrats rattled by apparent campaign break-in.

• California Democrats are raising alarms about an apparent election eve break-in and theft of campaign materials from a party outpost that overlaps with two critical districts.
• Democrats fear the theft could compromise the results in a pair of swing races that are pivotal to control of Congress and California’s Legislature.

6:30pm ET: 30 minutes until polls close in Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and the rest of Indiana and Kentucky.

Polls will start to close in half an hour along the east coast.

Races we’re watching: Georgia’s governor race; Indiana’s Senate race; House races in Virginia and Kentucky.

Why? In Georgia, Democrat Stacey Abrams is vying to be the first African American woman ever elected governor in the country. She’s running against Secretary of State Brian Kemp in an election marred by controversy.

Indiana Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly is one of the party’s most vulnerable incumbents, and his fate could be a predictor of whether the Democrats will take control of the upper chamber or Republicans will expand their 51-49 majority.

Props we’re watching:

Georgia

Amendment 4: Providing crime victims with constitutional rights.

Indiana

Public Question 1: Adopting a balanced budget amendment to the constitution.

Kentucky

Marsy’s Law Crime Victims RIghts Amendment: Providing crime victims with constitutional rights.

6:25pm ET: Extended hours at some polling places in Georgia and Indiana.

• Some polling places are planning to stay open past their official hours to make up for delays and mix-ups earlier in the day.
• The Annistown Elementary School, a polling place in Georgia, will stay open 25 minutes past its official closing time due to problems with its electronic voting system. Voters reportedly have been waiting in line for 4½ hours because of bugs in the election ExpressPoll system.
• A judge ruled on Tuesday afternoon that 12 polling places in northwestern Indiana have to keep operating up to two-and-a-half hours late after they did not open on time. The Republican clerk for Porter County, Indiana, blamed the late start on poll workers quitting, a failure to pick up election supplies, and issues with accessing polling sites.

6:20pm ET: Darrell Issa predicts Democrats will flip his seat for the first time in 18 years; 1 in 6 voters voting for the first time.

• Appearing on Fox News Tuesday, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) conceded that his seat would likely be flipped by Democrats for the first time since 2003, upon his retirement.
• One in six voters said this was their first time voting in a midterm election, according to early exit polls, CNN reports.

6:10pm ET: Poll workers erroneously tell South Carolina man he can't vote in a Trump shirt.

After South Carolina poll workers told a man he couldn't wear his Trump t-shirt into a polling place, the man pragmatically removed his shirt and left it outside, voting shirtless. Turns out, the poll workers were wrong: Because Trump isn't on the ballot — even if this election is a referendum on Trump, as many observers say — the man's shirt violated no laws.

6:00pm ET: Polls close in half of Indiana and half of Kentucky.

Polls in the western half of Indiana and Kentucky will close at 7:00 p.m. ET. Both states had heavy voter turnout, as people waited in hours-long lines to cast their ballots.

5:45pm ET: Polls in Indiana and Kentucky begin to close at 6.

Half of Indiana and Kentucky polls, including Kentucky's key 6th Congressional district, will close at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Indiana Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly is one of the party’s most vulnerable incumbents, and his fate could be a predictor of whether the Democrats will take control of the upper chamber or Republicans will expand their 51-49 majority.

Rep. Andy Barr's (R-KY) battle with Democrat Amy McGrath in one of the nation's most closely watched congressional races highlights a slate of important elections Tuesday in Kentucky, where Trump won by nearly 30 percentage points two years ago. The expensive race in Kentucky's 6th Congressional district has gotten national attention. Both political parties believe it's one of a handful of key races that could determine control of Congress for the remainder of Trump's first term.

5:30pm ET: Border patrol cancels "crowd control" exercise over voter intimidation concerns.

In Texas, the Border Patrol had been preparing a “crowd control exercise” near a Hispanic neighborhood in Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Beto O'Rourke's hometown of El Paso, but canceled the exercise after the American Civil Liberties Union and others warned of voter intimidation.

5:05pm ET: Weather and voter ID confusion complicate voting, religious signs prompt concerns.

• In Missouri, a judge decided two weeks ago to allow voters to show something other than a photo ID to demonstrate their eligibility, but not all poll workers had gotten the message, leading to confusion and long lines.
• North Carolina officials said that humidity had caused some voting machines to malfunction, but that ballots would still be counted.
• Security guards in Florida blocked access to a polling station that had been moved inside a gated community.
• Also in Florida, a sign posted by a church pastor at a polling place prompted complaints. It said, “Don’t vote for Democrats on Tuesday and sing ‘Oh how I love Jesus’ on Sunday.” Officials ruled that it could stand because it was on private property outside the 100-foot perimeter.
• A poll worker in Houston, Texas was relieved of her duties and will be charged criminally after making racist comments and bumping a voter.
• Chicago elections will ask to keep some polls open late after delayed openings. Some voters also reported not receiving the second page of their ballots.
• According to ProPublica, "Voters reported waits of an hour and longer on Election Day in areas ranging from the Gulf coasts of Texas and Florida to parts of Missouri and South Carolina, up to Chicago, rural central Pennsylvania and New York City. Polling places opening late, voting machine outages, understaffing and sheer volume caused some voters to abandon the lengthy lines before casting their ballots."

4:45pm ET: Power outages, old machines, and ballot issues face voters at the polls.

• Georgia is reporting election interference, voter suppression, and four-hour-long lines.
• Ballot readers failed throughout New York City, "thwarting thousands of would-be voters and forcing hundreds to abandon polling places rather than endure waits that sometimes exceeded an hour," Bloomberg reports.
• A precinct in Arlington, Texas, ran out of paper ballots.
• Some polls in Rhode Island had a late start because of technical issues and workers arriving late.

Click here for more election nightmares.

4:30pm ET: "Dónde votar" is the top trending Google search in the U.S.

Spanish for "Where to vote" was the top trending Google search term on Election Day. Could it be evidence of a large Latino voter turnout?

Want more?

• Your Hour-By-Hour Midterm Guide to Key Congressional, Governor, and Ballot Races
• 5 Potential Constitutional Amendments That Would Change Our Elections
• Here Are Some of This Year's Major State Ballot Measures
• YOUR VOTE: Everything You Need to Know, State by State & Step by Step
• Here’s How You Can Ensure the Election Is Fair
• Should Election Day Be a Public Holiday Known As ‘Democracy Day’?

—Josh Herman, Sara E. Murphy, and Eric Revell