Follow the AP's Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.

Here's the latest:

Judge in Georgia calls Republican lawsuit 'frivolous'

A federal judge Tuesday scolded Republican Party attorneys for what he called a "frivolous" lawsuit that accused election officials in seven Georgia counties of breaking the law by letting voters hand-deliver their absentee ballots over the weekend.

An attorney for the Republican National Committee and the Georgia Republican Party told U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker he wasn't trying to stop the 1,300 ballots from being counted but wanted them kept separate from other ballots.

The groups previously indicated they wanted the ballots as potential evidence for future litigation.

The GOP lawyers argued it was illegal for county election officials to accept mail ballots dropped off in person after early voting ended Friday.

Baker said Georgia law clearly states that county election officials are required to accept absentee ballots until the polls close on Election Day.

Judge declines to extend voting hours in Louisville after morning delays

A judge has declined to grant a two-hour extension of voting hours in Kentucky's most populous county after problems with electronic poll books led to delays at some precincts.

Election officials in Jefferson County, which includes Louisville, said delays involved loading poll books to include the 113,000 early voters who cast ballots before Election Day.

Ashley Tinius, a spokesperson for the Jefferson County Clerk, said no voters were turned away and the electronic issues were resolved later Tuesday morning.

The Kentucky Democratic Party asked a judge to extend voting from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The party's motion said, "Delays caused by the e-polling books crash caused some voters to leave their place in line and forego casting a ballot."

"There were numerous instances of voters unable to be checked-in and issued ballots," the motion reads.

The state Republican Party opposed the motion, arguing that only the Kentucky General Assembly can set election times and any vote cast after 6 p.m. would be illegal.

'Human error' forces recount of 30,000 absentee ballots in Milwaukee

Election officials in Milwaukee are recounting more than 30,000 absentee ballots because doors on the ballot tabulators were not properly sealed.

The recounting was being done "out of an abundance of caution," said Melissa Howard, spokesperson for the Milwaukee Election Commission.

There was no reason to believe that any ballots already counted had been tampered with, she said.

Howard said they were taking the step of recounting all of the ballots in an effort to be "completely, fully transparent." The problem was due to human error, she said.

The decision will delay the reporting of about 105,000 absentee ballots that could determine whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump win Wisconsin.

A small set of polls in Indiana and Kentucky close at 6 p.m. EST

Polls in a few Indiana districts across the state and polls on the eastern side of Kentucky are the first to close in the nation.

The first large poll closing comes at 7 p.m. EST. That closure includes most of Florida, all of Georgia and Virginia, among others.

Pennsylvania county goes to court to block improper hand count

Fayette County has gone to court to block a local judge of elections from doing a unilateral hand count of ballots in violation of the state's election code.

Marybeth Kuznik, director of the Fayette County Bureau of Elections, says in a court filing that Washington Township Judge of Election Vincent Manetta "reported that after polls close today, he intends to remove the ballots from the ballot box and audit or hand count the votes cast for each presidential candidate."

Completed ballots are supposed to be run through tabulating equipment.

Kuznik asked a judge to order Manetta to comply with state election law. The judge has yet to rule.

A white substance was found on a ballot envelope in Salt Lake County, Utah

The envelope was sequestered, tested and found to not be harmful, according to police. Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, who oversees elections statewide, commended the county clerk and her employees for acting swiftly to ensure the safety of those in the area.

"This incident will be fully investigated. Anyone attempting to intimidate election workers or disrupt election administration in any way can expect to face criminal charges," Henderson said.

Georgia voting sites receive bomb threats

Bomb threats to Georgia voting sites were made over the internet and included Cyrillic letters, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said. That gave election officials a clue about the origins of the threats, he said at an early evening briefing in Atlanta.

"We jumped on it quickly and then the FBI then followed our lead," he said. He said that once the FBI released a statement about the matter earlier Tuesday, the threats "kind of tapered off."

He said of the culprits: "I guess they realized that dog won't hunt today in Georgia."

Senior Harris campaign official says the VP has an advantage with late deciders

Harris senior campaign adviser Stephanie Cutter said in an MSNBC appearance that the vice president stayed focused in the final weeks of the campaign on how she aims to "make your life better" while Trump seemed consumed by grievances.

Indeed, Trump in the final stretch remarked that he wouldn't mind if an assassin had to "shoot through the fake news" to get to him. He raised eyebrows by vowing to protect women "whether the women like it or not." And his campaign had to clean up after a comedian warming up the crowd at Madison Square Garden rally referred to Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage."

"I'm not going to make any predictions," Cutter said." "But I do think that we finished very strong. And if you were making your decision in the last couple weeks of this campaign, I think, you know, by significant margins, people were deciding for Vice President Harris."

Empire State Building lights will mark swing state winners as results roll in

The lights on the Manhattan icon will change color every time declares a victor in one of the decisive swing states, according to a post on its official account on X, formerly Twitter.

The 103-floor skyscraper's tower lights will shine blue for five minutes if Harris claims one of the battlegrounds and shine red for five minutes if Trump wins one.

When one of the candidates reaches the winning threshold of 270 electoral votes, the Art Deco landmark will again be lit up to correspond to the victorious political party: red for Republican Trump or blue for Democrat Harris.

Barring a major surprise, the seven states where the race for the White House will likely be decided are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Rudy Giuliani seen in a Mercedes similar to the one he was ordered to turn over

Rudy Giuliani was not shy as he drove up to a polling station in Palm Beach, Florida, in a blue Mercedes that appeared to be the one a federal judge ordered him to turn over to the two Georgia election workers who won a defamation lawsuit against the former mayor of New York.

Sitting in the passenger seat of what appears to be a 1980 Mercedes-Benz 500SL, Giuliani smiled and waved to supporters and photographers at the polling place where Trump cast his ballot as he tried to reclaim the presidency.

It could not be immediately confirmed if Giuliani was riding in the same car he was supposed to turn over. The judge gave the staunch Trump supporter until October 29 to do so. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman has ordered Giuliani to appear in a New York courtroom on Thursday to explain why he missed a deadline.

"Our lawyers have requested documentation to transfer over the title of the vehicle, and haven't heard back from opposing counsel," said Giuliani spokesman Ted Goodman.

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

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.

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

Authorities in the Denver area are investigating after election officials discovered "discrepancies" with signatures on several mail ballots sent from an adult day care facility in the city.

That's according to Denver clerk and recorder Paul Lopez in a statement.

Election workers in Colorado check the signatures on mail ballots against voter signatures on file to make sure they're submitted by the voter the ballot was sent to. Lopez said his office notified law enforcement and the Denver district attorney's office was investigating. He also said law enforcement in nearby counties were also investigating but did not explain why.

Denver's KMGH-TV, which first reported the investigation, said ballots from the facility were sent to six counties.

Colorado overwhelmingly votes by mail.

Voting machines malfunction in central Iowa county

In Central Iowa's Story County, home to about 100,000 people and the city of Ames, voting machines at some precincts malfunctioned, portending possible delays to reporting results.

"We are aware of technical issues regarding tabulators in some precincts in Story County," said Ashley Hunt Esquivel, a spokesperson for Iowa Secretary of State's Office. "The auditor is working with the vendor and our office to resolve it. It is not stopping anyone from casting a single ballot. It may impact how quickly we can report results."

Story County Auditor Lucy Martin told the Des Moines Register that machines did not read "certain ballot styles" at about 12 of the county's 45 polling locations. Election workers would have to count ballots at those locations by hand, according to local Democratic and Republican Party officials. The machines were tested and the cause of the technical difficulties was unknown, Martin added.

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

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."

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," 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

For funny man Ken Jeong, this Election Day is serious

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

Coming around 6 p.m. Eastern: Kornacki Cam.

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

Also part of the multiview (basically, some of the same technology NBC utilized during the Paris Olympics) is a live stream 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."

Natural gas leak prompts the closure of a polling place outside Detroit

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.

After missing amendments, corrected ballots are being sent to St. Clair County, Alabama

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 news conference Tuesday.

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

"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.

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.

Another way that Trump is very 'on line'

Many Americans will urge voters to stay in line and wait to vote today. Or will they say stay "on" line?

The slight variation -- on vs. in -- is a regional difference. The vast majority of Americans say "stay in line," while those from the broader New York area often say "stay on line."

"For much of the last several decades ... on line has been viewed as peculiar to New York City (and the Hudson Valley)," according to Merriam-Webster.

The difference is clearest on the Republican ticket.

Trump, a native New Yorker, urged Republicans on Tuesday to, "Stay on Line. Do not let them move you. STAY ON LINE AND VOTE!" The presidential candidate has also used "in line."

His running mate, Sen. JD Vance, a Republican who was born in Ohio, pressed people to, "Get in line, stay in line, and VOTE."

Netanyahu chooses US Election Day to fire rival Yoav Gallant

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long been rumored to be weighing the sacking of Gallant, the defense minister and his political rival. The two have clashed over Netanyahu's handling of the multi-front war in Gaza and Lebanon.

Netanyahu fired Gallant once before in March 2023, months before Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the current conflict. Biden administration officials expressed concern to Netanyahu over his decision at the time.

The move then was spurred by Gallant's criticism of the Netanyahu government's contentious plan to overhaul the judiciary. Netanyahu reversed the decision weeks later.

The White House on Tuesday had no immediate reaction to Netanyahu's move to oust Gallant once again.

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

They take college football very seriously in Clemson, South Carolina.

But no, they did not take away Tigers coach Dabo Swinney's right to vote just because his team lost to Louisville last week.

Let's explain: Dabo Swinney's given first name is William. Dabo Swinney went to vote on Tuesday. The state of South Carolina said William Swinney had already voted.

"I'm like, 'Dang, they done voted me out of the state. Lost a game. ... They done shipped me off,'" Swinney said.

Here was the issue: Dabo's oldest son, also named William, voted last week.

They counted William Jr. as William Sr. Hence, the confusion.

Dabo Swinney got to submit a paper ballot and there will be a hearing on Friday to clear it up.

"It was quite an experience this morning," the coach said. "Me and Will, our two votes will count on Friday."

Democrats defend Michigan's open Senate seat, a rare opportunity for Republicans

Michigan voters are deciding between Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin and Republican former congressman Mike Rogers in a tight U.S. Senate battleground contest that could sway the balance of federal power.

Slotkin had a clear head start, but as Republicans became more confident about Donald Trump's presidential prospects in Michigan, the contest drew more attention from funders who believed Rogers had a good chance of becoming the first Republican to win a U.S. Senate seat in the state in 30 years.

The race could determine whether Democrats continue to hold their slim majority in the Senate, where they're defending more seats than Republicans in this election.

? Read more about Michigan's Senate race

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.

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!"

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

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

Asked about the measure, which would keep the state's six-week restriction in place, he avoided answering by simply saying he'd done "a great job bringing it back to the states."

The second time, he snapped at a reporter, saying: "You should stop talking about it."

Trump had previously indicated he would back the measure, but then changed his mind, saying he would vote against it.

The abortion measure would prevent lawmakers from passing any law that penalizes, prohibits, delays or restricts abortion until fetal viability, which doctors say is sometime after 21 weeks. If it's rejected, the state's current abortion law would stand.