Join the Pluribus News team as we live-blog the 2024 elections. Voters are voting, and the first polls close in parts of Kentucky and Indiana at 6 p.m. ET. Stay with us all night as we dissect the results, spotlight key races and bring you all the latest news you need.
Lots of legislative races still to count
An unfortunate feature of a national election is that state-level races tend to get overlooked. It’s impossible to get a sense on Election Night for which side is leading or losing in the battle for control of key legislative chambers — we know that Minnesota Democrats defended their majority in the state Senate, but that’s because there was only one race on offer.
So stay with us in the coming days as we figure out which side won which states.
But one thing we can tease: As we eye Arizona election results, if those results hold as they stand at the moment, Republicans and Democrats are headed for a 30-30 tie in the state House. Pending results are probably going to change that, but that’s where we are at 1:51 a.m. ET.
– Reid Wilson, 1:51 a.m.
Anti-gerrymandering measure fails in Ohio
Ohio voters have rejected the latest attempt to reform the state’s redistricting process. Issue 1, a measure that would have handed control of the redistricting process to a citizen-led panel made up of Republicans, Democrats and independents won only 46% of the vote on Tuesday; the Associated Press projected the measure would lose.
It’s a rare defeat for redistricting reformers, who have secured passage of citizen-led panels in red and blue states alike.
– Reid Wilson, 12:40 a.m.
Washington maintains Dem streak
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) defeated former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert (R), extending Democrats’ four-decade lock on the governor’s office.
Ferguson will replace three-term Gov. Jay Inslee (D), who opted not to run for a fourth term. Read more here.
– Austin Jenkins, 12:38 a.m.
Delaware, North Dakota elect new governors
New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer (D) will be Delaware’s next governor, and U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R) will succeed North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R). Both results were expected.
The most contentious governor’s race of the night is in New Hampshire, where former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R) leads former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig (D) by just about 6,000 votes, or two percentage points, with about two-thirds of the vote left to count.
– Reid Wilson, 9:21 p.m.
New governors elected in North Carolina, West Virginia, Indiana
A pair of attorneys general are headed to the governor’s mansion: In North Carolina, the Associated Press has projected Attorney General Josh Stein (D) will succeed retiring Gov. Roy Cooper (D). In West Virginia, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) will succeed Gov. Jim Justice (R), who just won a seat in the U.S. Senate.
In Indiana, U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R) has won the right to succeed retiring Gov. Eric Holcomb (R). Not an unexpected result, but Democrats thought they had an outside chance of scoring an upset.
Braun, Stein and Morrisey are the first new governors elected tonight. Of the 11 states that will elect a governor, eight feature races in which an incumbent is retiring or, in Justice’s case, seeking other office.
– Reid Wilson, 8:04 p.m.
Florida abortion, marijuana measures short of 60%
Proposed constitutional amendments to legalize marijuana for recreational use and to protect abortion rights are winning a majority of the vote in Florida — but not by wide enough margins to meet the 60% threshold they need to pass. With about three-quarters of the votes in, 58% of voters are supporting Amendment 4 to protect abortion rights, and 56% are backing Amendment 3 to legalize marijuana.
If those amendments go down to defeat, it will mark a big political win for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), whose campaign organization effectively took over control of both opposition campaigns.
Read more from Stephanie Akin right here.
Dixville Notch notches a tie
Residents of Dixville Notch, a tiny unincorporated area in New Hampshire’s Coos County, get together to vote at midnight in a tradition that dates back to the 1960s. There are four registered Republicans and two unaffiliated voters in the community — and, in this year of neck-and-neck polls, they delivered the only result anyone might expect: A tie.
Vice President Harris won three votes. Former President Trump won three votes. What other result would be appropriate?
– Reid Wilson, 8:39 a.m.
Poll Closing Times
6:00pm ET: Indiana and Kentucky (counties in the Eastern time zone only)
7:00pm ET: Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Vermont, Indiana and Kentucky (Central time zone) and Florida (Eastern time zone)
7:30pm ET: North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia
8:00pm ET: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. close completely. Central time zone parts of Florida, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas close, and Michigan’s Eastern time zone closes.
8:30pm ET: Arkansas
9:00pm ET: Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Central time zone parts of Michigan and Mountain time zone regions of Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas.
10:00pm ET: Montana, Nevada and Utah, along with Mountain time zone parts of Oregon and Idaho.
11:00pm ET: California and Washington, along with the Pacific time zone parts of Idaho and Oregon.
12:00am ET: Alaska and Hawaii close.
1:00am ET: The most remote Aleutian Islands close.
– Reid Wilson, 7:43 a.m.