2024 presidential election live updates: Americans head to the polls to choose between Harris or Trump
Posted on 11/05/2024
In Scranton, Pennsylvania, Liza Fortt, a 74-year-old Black woman, arrived at her polling location in a wheelchair and not feeling well.
But she ventured out anyway to vote for Harris.
“It means a lot to me and my grandkids, my granddaughters, my nieces. ... I was just waiting for this day to come,” Fortt said.
She said she never thought she’d have such an opportunity, to cast a ballot for a Black woman in a presidential race.
“I’m proud, to see a woman, not only a woman, but a Black woman,” Fortt said.
At issue is a settlement agreement with the St. Louis Board aimed at ensuring people with mobility and vision impairments can access polling places. The 2021 settlement was reached under Trump’s Justice Department after federal officials found problems, such as ramps that were too steep and inaccessible parking, according to the court papers.
Missouri is among several states pushing back against federal election monitors.
On Monday, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft argued in a lawsuit that state law “clearly and specifically limits who may be in polling places.” He also accused the federal government of “attempting to illegally interfere in Missouri’s elections.”
U.S. District Judge Sarah Pitlyk wrote Monday night that the case boils down to two individuals at one polling place to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as has happened at least twice before without any problems.
“Being prevented from enforcing its election laws may also be a harm to the State of Missouri, but that harm also has a counterweight in the United States’ interest in enforcing the ADA,” Pitlyk wrote.
In Palm Beach, Florida, precinct 5604 had a large police presence Tuesday morning, about an hour after polls opened.
At least 15 officers — from local sheriff’s deputies to Secret Service agents — were seen using the same walkway that voters were utilizing on their walk into the polling location, preparing for Trump’s arrival. The former president is expected to vote there later in the day.
The voting line flowed without interruption, with a steady stream throughout the early hours.
When polls opened at 7 a.m. local time in Florida on Tuesday, a majority of the state’s registered voters had already cast a ballot early — including voting by mail and early in-person voting, according to an analysis of state data by the University of Florida Election Lab.
Of those who waited to vote on Election Day, many were getting their civic duty out of the way early, according to elections officials.
In Orange County, home to the city of Orlando, more than 4,700 people voted in the first 20 minutes of polls being open, according to a social media post by the county elections supervisor’s office.
The attorneys general from 47 states and three U.S. territories are urging people to remain peaceful and to preemptively “condemn any acts of violence related to the results.”
The statement, released Tuesday, was signed by chief prosecutors from every U.S. state except Indiana, Montana and Texas. Attorneys general from the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands also signed.
“We call upon every American to vote, participate in civil discourse and, above all, respect the integrity of the democratic process,” they wrote. “Violence has no place in the democratic process; we will exercise our authority to enforce the law against any illegal acts that threaten it.”
Fears of election violence persist nearly four years after Trump supporters rioted at the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the election certification. Rather than condemning the violence during his campaign, Trump has celebrated the rioters, pledging to pardon them and featuring a recorded chorus of prisoners in jail for their roles in the Jan. 6 attack singing the national anthem.
Trump spent the very early hours of Election Day in Michigan, where he wrapped up a late-night rally in Grand Rapids. The Republican candidate plans to spend the day in Florida, where he is expected to vote in person — despite previously saying he would vote early. He’s scheduled to hold a campaign watch party in Palm Beach on Tuesday night.
Harris plans to attend an election night party at Howard University in Washington, a historically Black university where she graduated with a degree in economics and political science in 1986 and was an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Aside from Howard, she has no public schedule announced for Election Day.
Harris said Sunday that she had “just filled out” her mail-in ballot and it was “on its way to California.”
▶ Read more on what to watch on Election Day
In Tijuana, Mexico, migrants lined up hours before their 5 a.m. appointments to legally enter the United States using an online phone app that the Biden administration introduced in January 2023 to discourage illegal border crossings.
More than 852,000 migrants have entered the U.S. on the CBP One app, whose future hangs on the outcome of U.S. presidential elections.
Donald Trump has strongly criticized CBP One, a less-publicized piece of an immigration platform that includes plans for mass deportations. Kamala Harris has offered few specifics on immigration but is expected to largely continue Biden administration policies, including severe restrictions on seeking asylum.
Several of the more than 100 migrants with appointments in Tijuana — mostly Venezuelans but also many Cubans and Haitians — said they were aware of the U.S. elections but that they had no impact on when and whether to leave their homes.
“It’s about economic necessity,” said Graviel Escobar, 22, who left Cuba with his partner in August and plans to live in New York City.
Businesses around the White House on Tuesday morning continued to board up windows and erect temporary fencing, precautions taken amid worries that Election Day — and the days ahead — could lead to unrest.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said the police department is also stepping up its presence in commercial districts in all eight wards of the city.
Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith at a Monday news conference sought to reassure the city’s residents that her department is prepared for whatever Election Day might bring.
“Our team has been fully engaged and vigilant,” she said. “We are the best in the country at what we do, and we will keep working around the clock to keep Washington, D.C., safe and keep our residents safe.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump both spent the waning hours of their campaigns in the well-trodden swing states of Pennsylvania and Michigan, widely seen as critical to winning the White House.
Harris wrapped her day in Philadelphia, where Lady Gaga sang “God Bless America” and Oprah Winfrey appeared on stage with first-time voters. Ricky Martin, who is from Puerto Rico, was also there to draw out Puerto Rican voters turned off by a comedian who called their homeland a “floating island of garbage” at a recent Trump rally.
“Our people-powered movement reflects a simple and undeniable truth: that we are all in this together,” Harris said.
Harris didn’t arrive at the vice president’s residence, the Naval Observatory, until 1:41 a.m.
Trump, meanwhile, spent the final hours of the day in Grand Rapids, Michigan, wrapping up around 2 a.m.
He took shots at Harris for campaigning alongside celebrities.
“We don’t need a star because we have policy. We have great policy,” he said. Later, he boasted of his own stars: “So many celebrities here, it’s incredible: Mike Pompeo, please stand up,” introducing his former secretary of state.
Trump landed in Florida around 6 a.m.
In Black Mountain, North Carolina, soil conservationist JD Jorgensen, 35, did not reveal what his presidential choice was after he voted around 7 a.m.
But when asked how he voted, he said, “Carefully.”
“I tried to do it as informed as I could be,” he added. “I tried to stick to my values and just tried to pick candidates that align to those values and who I thought were going to be best for the offices they were running for.”
Jorgensen said the choice he made was “not really that tough.”
“I think that the candidates, both being in the public eye for as long as they have been, if you were on the fence you’re not really paying attention,” Jorgensen said.
So you want to cast a ballot on Election Day? Or maybe vote by mail? It helps to know the rules.
The federal government sets some basic standards: U.S. citizens age 18 or older are eligible to vote. But each state can adopt additional voting requirements and restrictions. For example, many states disqualify voters serving a prison sentence for felony crimes.
Many states also require people to register to vote in advance of Election Day so poll workers can check names off a list when people show up to vote. The majority of states also ask voters to show some form of identification so carrying an ID may be important.
▶ Read more about some of the most common rules and requirements for casting a ballot
1 of 6 |
International tourists from U.S. Devony Evans, second left, Sajron Silalenka, third left, and Fiana Jones of United Kingdom, fourth left, join local villagers during special prayers for the victory of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, at Sri Dharmasastha Hindu temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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Local politician Arulmozhi Sudhakar reacts as she prepares a Kolam, a traditional art work using colored powder, that reads “Greeting America, our wishes for Kamala Harris’ victory” for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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A villager carries a banner featuring Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris outside Sri Dharmasastha Hindu temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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A Hindu priest puts a ‘tilak’ a forehead mark worn by Hindu women, on a photograph of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during special prayers for her victory in the U.S. elections at Palvancha, Telangana, India, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. The prayers were organized by an educational foundation named after Harris’ late mother Shyamala Gopalan. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
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A villager prays in front of the idols of Hindu goddesses after special prayers for the victory of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, at Sri Dharmasastha temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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From left, Fiana Jones of United Kingdom, Devony Evans and Sajron Silalenka of United States wearing tees and cheer for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris outside a temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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International tourists from U.S. Devony Evans, second left, Sajron Silalenka, third left, and Fiana Jones of United Kingdom, fourth left, join local villagers during special prayers for the victory of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, at Sri Dharmasastha Hindu temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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International tourists from U.S. Devony Evans, second left, Sajron Silalenka, third left, and Fiana Jones of United Kingdom, fourth left, join local villagers during special prayers for the victory of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, at Sri Dharmasastha Hindu temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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Local politician Arulmozhi Sudhakar reacts as she prepares a Kolam, a traditional art work using colored powder, that reads “Greeting America, our wishes for Kamala Harris’ victory” for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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Local politician Arulmozhi Sudhakar reacts as she prepares a Kolam, a traditional art work using colored powder, that reads “Greeting America, our wishes for Kamala Harris’ victory” for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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A villager carries a banner featuring Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris outside Sri Dharmasastha Hindu temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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A villager carries a banner featuring Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris outside Sri Dharmasastha Hindu temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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A Hindu priest puts a ‘tilak’ a forehead mark worn by Hindu women, on a photograph of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during special prayers for her victory in the U.S. elections at Palvancha, Telangana, India, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. The prayers were organized by an educational foundation named after Harris’ late mother Shyamala Gopalan. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
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A Hindu priest puts a ‘tilak’ a forehead mark worn by Hindu women, on a photograph of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during special prayers for her victory in the U.S. elections at Palvancha, Telangana, India, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. The prayers were organized by an educational foundation named after Harris’ late mother Shyamala Gopalan. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
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A villager prays in front of the idols of Hindu goddesses after special prayers for the victory of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, at Sri Dharmasastha temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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A villager prays in front of the idols of Hindu goddesses after special prayers for the victory of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, at Sri Dharmasastha temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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From left, Fiana Jones of United Kingdom, Devony Evans and Sajron Silalenka of United States wearing tees and cheer for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris outside a temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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From left, Fiana Jones of United Kingdom, Devony Evans and Sajron Silalenka of United States wearing tees and cheer for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris outside a temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
The temple reverberated with rhythmic Sanskrit and Tamil hymns, as a Hindu priest held a flame before the god. As this tiny South Indian village gathered to pray for Kamala Harris, a gaggle of reporters jostled for space and camera angles.
There’s little to distinguish the village of Thulasendrapuram from any other rural community in Tamil Nadu, except its connection to a woman who could become America’s first leader with South Asian roots.
As millions of Americans vote, Harris has people rooting for her from thousands of miles away in a village surrounded by rice paddies and coconut trees, where her mother’s family has ancestral ties. They talk about her at the local tea shop. Banners and billboards bearing her face are seen throughout the community.
▶ Read more about the village that reveres Harris and her family
Almost two-thirds of voters cast an early ballot in 2020, a pandemic-driven spike in America’s decadeslong shift to favor voting in advance of Election Day. Every state allows some way to cast a ballot before Election Day, and Alabama kicked things off in 2024 on Sept. 11 as it began distributing mail-in ballots.
As of today, voters nationwide have returned a total of 82,052,087 advance ballots in the 2024 general election.
▶ Follow the AP’s early voting tracker
The tiny New Hampshire resort town has a tradition that dates back to 1960 for being the first in the nation to complete in-person voting. The town’s six voters cast their ballots at the stroke of midnight.
In a presidential election that appears to be incredibly close, it was fitting that the first votes cast on Election Day were evenly split, with three for Donald Trump and three for Kamala Harris.
The tiny New Hampshire resort town of Dixville Notch has a tradition dating back to 1960 of being the first in the nation to complete in-person voting. The town’s six voters began casting their ballots on the stroke of midnight Tuesday and the vote count was complete 15 minutes later.
In an election where tensions have run high, the setting in Dixville Notch couldn’t have been more congenial. Voting took place in the living room of the Tillotson House, with cookies and coffee and a couple of very friendly dogs.
Americans will cast roughly 160 million ballots by the time Election Day comes to a close. They will choose a president, members of Congress and thousands of state lawmakers, city council members, attorneys general, secretaries of state — and, in Texas, a railroad commissioner who has nothing to do with the trains.
This year’s election also comes at a moment when the very basics of how America votes are being challenged as never before by disinformation and distrust.
It can be tough to make sense of it all. To help better understand the way America picks its president and its leaders — all the way down the ballot — The Associated Press offers the following thoughts on the Top 25 people, places, races, dates and things to know about Election Day. It’s a guidebook, of sorts, to American democracy as it nears its 250th birthday.
▶ Read more from the AP’s Top 25 guide to elections
The Associated Press has been tallying results in national, state and local elections since 1848. In broad terms, the process is the same today as it was then: Vote count reporters collect election results at a local level as soon as polls close, then submit those results for the AP to collate, verify and report.
This year, the AP will count the votes in about 5,000 contested races around the United States, from the presidency and Congress to state legislatures and ballot measures.
The U.S. doesn’t have a nationwide body that collects and releases election results. Elections are administered locally, by thousands of offices, following standards set by the states. In many cases, the states themselves don’t even offer up-to-date tracking of election results.
The AP plays a role in collecting and standardizing the results.
▶ Read more about the role AP plays in counting the vote
But she ventured out anyway to vote for Harris.
“It means a lot to me and my grandkids, my granddaughters, my nieces. ... I was just waiting for this day to come,” Fortt said.
She said she never thought she’d have such an opportunity, to cast a ballot for a Black woman in a presidential race.
“I’m proud, to see a woman, not only a woman, but a Black woman,” Fortt said.
At issue is a settlement agreement with the St. Louis Board aimed at ensuring people with mobility and vision impairments can access polling places. The 2021 settlement was reached under Trump’s Justice Department after federal officials found problems, such as ramps that were too steep and inaccessible parking, according to the court papers.
Missouri is among several states pushing back against federal election monitors.
On Monday, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft argued in a lawsuit that state law “clearly and specifically limits who may be in polling places.” He also accused the federal government of “attempting to illegally interfere in Missouri’s elections.”
U.S. District Judge Sarah Pitlyk wrote Monday night that the case boils down to two individuals at one polling place to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as has happened at least twice before without any problems.
“Being prevented from enforcing its election laws may also be a harm to the State of Missouri, but that harm also has a counterweight in the United States’ interest in enforcing the ADA,” Pitlyk wrote.
In Palm Beach, Florida, precinct 5604 had a large police presence Tuesday morning, about an hour after polls opened.
At least 15 officers — from local sheriff’s deputies to Secret Service agents — were seen using the same walkway that voters were utilizing on their walk into the polling location, preparing for Trump’s arrival. The former president is expected to vote there later in the day.
The voting line flowed without interruption, with a steady stream throughout the early hours.
When polls opened at 7 a.m. local time in Florida on Tuesday, a majority of the state’s registered voters had already cast a ballot early — including voting by mail and early in-person voting, according to an analysis of state data by the University of Florida Election Lab.
Of those who waited to vote on Election Day, many were getting their civic duty out of the way early, according to elections officials.
In Orange County, home to the city of Orlando, more than 4,700 people voted in the first 20 minutes of polls being open, according to a social media post by the county elections supervisor’s office.
The attorneys general from 47 states and three U.S. territories are urging people to remain peaceful and to preemptively “condemn any acts of violence related to the results.”
The statement, released Tuesday, was signed by chief prosecutors from every U.S. state except Indiana, Montana and Texas. Attorneys general from the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands also signed.
“We call upon every American to vote, participate in civil discourse and, above all, respect the integrity of the democratic process,” they wrote. “Violence has no place in the democratic process; we will exercise our authority to enforce the law against any illegal acts that threaten it.”
Fears of election violence persist nearly four years after Trump supporters rioted at the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the election certification. Rather than condemning the violence during his campaign, Trump has celebrated the rioters, pledging to pardon them and featuring a recorded chorus of prisoners in jail for their roles in the Jan. 6 attack singing the national anthem.
Trump spent the very early hours of Election Day in Michigan, where he wrapped up a late-night rally in Grand Rapids. The Republican candidate plans to spend the day in Florida, where he is expected to vote in person — despite previously saying he would vote early. He’s scheduled to hold a campaign watch party in Palm Beach on Tuesday night.
Harris plans to attend an election night party at Howard University in Washington, a historically Black university where she graduated with a degree in economics and political science in 1986 and was an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Aside from Howard, she has no public schedule announced for Election Day.
Harris said Sunday that she had “just filled out” her mail-in ballot and it was “on its way to California.”
▶ Read more on what to watch on Election Day
In Tijuana, Mexico, migrants lined up hours before their 5 a.m. appointments to legally enter the United States using an online phone app that the Biden administration introduced in January 2023 to discourage illegal border crossings.
More than 852,000 migrants have entered the U.S. on the CBP One app, whose future hangs on the outcome of U.S. presidential elections.
Donald Trump has strongly criticized CBP One, a less-publicized piece of an immigration platform that includes plans for mass deportations. Kamala Harris has offered few specifics on immigration but is expected to largely continue Biden administration policies, including severe restrictions on seeking asylum.
Several of the more than 100 migrants with appointments in Tijuana — mostly Venezuelans but also many Cubans and Haitians — said they were aware of the U.S. elections but that they had no impact on when and whether to leave their homes.
“It’s about economic necessity,” said Graviel Escobar, 22, who left Cuba with his partner in August and plans to live in New York City.
Businesses around the White House on Tuesday morning continued to board up windows and erect temporary fencing, precautions taken amid worries that Election Day — and the days ahead — could lead to unrest.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said the police department is also stepping up its presence in commercial districts in all eight wards of the city.
Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith at a Monday news conference sought to reassure the city’s residents that her department is prepared for whatever Election Day might bring.
“Our team has been fully engaged and vigilant,” she said. “We are the best in the country at what we do, and we will keep working around the clock to keep Washington, D.C., safe and keep our residents safe.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump both spent the waning hours of their campaigns in the well-trodden swing states of Pennsylvania and Michigan, widely seen as critical to winning the White House.
Harris wrapped her day in Philadelphia, where Lady Gaga sang “God Bless America” and Oprah Winfrey appeared on stage with first-time voters. Ricky Martin, who is from Puerto Rico, was also there to draw out Puerto Rican voters turned off by a comedian who called their homeland a “floating island of garbage” at a recent Trump rally.
“Our people-powered movement reflects a simple and undeniable truth: that we are all in this together,” Harris said.
Harris didn’t arrive at the vice president’s residence, the Naval Observatory, until 1:41 a.m.
Trump, meanwhile, spent the final hours of the day in Grand Rapids, Michigan, wrapping up around 2 a.m.
He took shots at Harris for campaigning alongside celebrities.
“We don’t need a star because we have policy. We have great policy,” he said. Later, he boasted of his own stars: “So many celebrities here, it’s incredible: Mike Pompeo, please stand up,” introducing his former secretary of state.
Trump landed in Florida around 6 a.m.
In Black Mountain, North Carolina, soil conservationist JD Jorgensen, 35, did not reveal what his presidential choice was after he voted around 7 a.m.
But when asked how he voted, he said, “Carefully.”
“I tried to do it as informed as I could be,” he added. “I tried to stick to my values and just tried to pick candidates that align to those values and who I thought were going to be best for the offices they were running for.”
Jorgensen said the choice he made was “not really that tough.”
“I think that the candidates, both being in the public eye for as long as they have been, if you were on the fence you’re not really paying attention,” Jorgensen said.
So you want to cast a ballot on Election Day? Or maybe vote by mail? It helps to know the rules.
The federal government sets some basic standards: U.S. citizens age 18 or older are eligible to vote. But each state can adopt additional voting requirements and restrictions. For example, many states disqualify voters serving a prison sentence for felony crimes.
Many states also require people to register to vote in advance of Election Day so poll workers can check names off a list when people show up to vote. The majority of states also ask voters to show some form of identification so carrying an ID may be important.
▶ Read more about some of the most common rules and requirements for casting a ballot
1 of 6 |
International tourists from U.S. Devony Evans, second left, Sajron Silalenka, third left, and Fiana Jones of United Kingdom, fourth left, join local villagers during special prayers for the victory of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, at Sri Dharmasastha Hindu temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
2 of 6 |
Local politician Arulmozhi Sudhakar reacts as she prepares a Kolam, a traditional art work using colored powder, that reads “Greeting America, our wishes for Kamala Harris’ victory” for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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A villager carries a banner featuring Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris outside Sri Dharmasastha Hindu temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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A Hindu priest puts a ‘tilak’ a forehead mark worn by Hindu women, on a photograph of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during special prayers for her victory in the U.S. elections at Palvancha, Telangana, India, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. The prayers were organized by an educational foundation named after Harris’ late mother Shyamala Gopalan. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
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A villager prays in front of the idols of Hindu goddesses after special prayers for the victory of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, at Sri Dharmasastha temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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From left, Fiana Jones of United Kingdom, Devony Evans and Sajron Silalenka of United States wearing tees and cheer for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris outside a temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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International tourists from U.S. Devony Evans, second left, Sajron Silalenka, third left, and Fiana Jones of United Kingdom, fourth left, join local villagers during special prayers for the victory of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, at Sri Dharmasastha Hindu temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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International tourists from U.S. Devony Evans, second left, Sajron Silalenka, third left, and Fiana Jones of United Kingdom, fourth left, join local villagers during special prayers for the victory of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, at Sri Dharmasastha Hindu temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
2 of 6 |
Local politician Arulmozhi Sudhakar reacts as she prepares a Kolam, a traditional art work using colored powder, that reads “Greeting America, our wishes for Kamala Harris’ victory” for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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Local politician Arulmozhi Sudhakar reacts as she prepares a Kolam, a traditional art work using colored powder, that reads “Greeting America, our wishes for Kamala Harris’ victory” for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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A villager carries a banner featuring Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris outside Sri Dharmasastha Hindu temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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A villager carries a banner featuring Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris outside Sri Dharmasastha Hindu temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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A Hindu priest puts a ‘tilak’ a forehead mark worn by Hindu women, on a photograph of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during special prayers for her victory in the U.S. elections at Palvancha, Telangana, India, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. The prayers were organized by an educational foundation named after Harris’ late mother Shyamala Gopalan. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
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A Hindu priest puts a ‘tilak’ a forehead mark worn by Hindu women, on a photograph of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during special prayers for her victory in the U.S. elections at Palvancha, Telangana, India, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. The prayers were organized by an educational foundation named after Harris’ late mother Shyamala Gopalan. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
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A villager prays in front of the idols of Hindu goddesses after special prayers for the victory of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, at Sri Dharmasastha temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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A villager prays in front of the idols of Hindu goddesses after special prayers for the victory of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, at Sri Dharmasastha temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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From left, Fiana Jones of United Kingdom, Devony Evans and Sajron Silalenka of United States wearing tees and cheer for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris outside a temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
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From left, Fiana Jones of United Kingdom, Devony Evans and Sajron Silalenka of United States wearing tees and cheer for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris outside a temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
The temple reverberated with rhythmic Sanskrit and Tamil hymns, as a Hindu priest held a flame before the god. As this tiny South Indian village gathered to pray for Kamala Harris, a gaggle of reporters jostled for space and camera angles.
There’s little to distinguish the village of Thulasendrapuram from any other rural community in Tamil Nadu, except its connection to a woman who could become America’s first leader with South Asian roots.
As millions of Americans vote, Harris has people rooting for her from thousands of miles away in a village surrounded by rice paddies and coconut trees, where her mother’s family has ancestral ties. They talk about her at the local tea shop. Banners and billboards bearing her face are seen throughout the community.
▶ Read more about the village that reveres Harris and her family
Almost two-thirds of voters cast an early ballot in 2020, a pandemic-driven spike in America’s decadeslong shift to favor voting in advance of Election Day. Every state allows some way to cast a ballot before Election Day, and Alabama kicked things off in 2024 on Sept. 11 as it began distributing mail-in ballots.
As of today, voters nationwide have returned a total of 82,052,087 advance ballots in the 2024 general election.
▶ Follow the AP’s early voting tracker
The tiny New Hampshire resort town has a tradition that dates back to 1960 for being the first in the nation to complete in-person voting. The town’s six voters cast their ballots at the stroke of midnight.
In a presidential election that appears to be incredibly close, it was fitting that the first votes cast on Election Day were evenly split, with three for Donald Trump and three for Kamala Harris.
The tiny New Hampshire resort town of Dixville Notch has a tradition dating back to 1960 of being the first in the nation to complete in-person voting. The town’s six voters began casting their ballots on the stroke of midnight Tuesday and the vote count was complete 15 minutes later.
In an election where tensions have run high, the setting in Dixville Notch couldn’t have been more congenial. Voting took place in the living room of the Tillotson House, with cookies and coffee and a couple of very friendly dogs.
Americans will cast roughly 160 million ballots by the time Election Day comes to a close. They will choose a president, members of Congress and thousands of state lawmakers, city council members, attorneys general, secretaries of state — and, in Texas, a railroad commissioner who has nothing to do with the trains.
This year’s election also comes at a moment when the very basics of how America votes are being challenged as never before by disinformation and distrust.
It can be tough to make sense of it all. To help better understand the way America picks its president and its leaders — all the way down the ballot — The Associated Press offers the following thoughts on the Top 25 people, places, races, dates and things to know about Election Day. It’s a guidebook, of sorts, to American democracy as it nears its 250th birthday.
▶ Read more from the AP’s Top 25 guide to elections
The Associated Press has been tallying results in national, state and local elections since 1848. In broad terms, the process is the same today as it was then: Vote count reporters collect election results at a local level as soon as polls close, then submit those results for the AP to collate, verify and report.
This year, the AP will count the votes in about 5,000 contested races around the United States, from the presidency and Congress to state legislatures and ballot measures.
The U.S. doesn’t have a nationwide body that collects and releases election results. Elections are administered locally, by thousands of offices, following standards set by the states. In many cases, the states themselves don’t even offer up-to-date tracking of election results.
The AP plays a role in collecting and standardizing the results.
▶ Read more about the role AP plays in counting the vote
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