Live updates: America heads to polls with millions voting in US presidential elections

Elon Musk confirms he is not stepping back from politics

Update: 06:58 PM EST

In a live X Spaces discussion, Elon Musk made it clear that he isn’t stepping back from American politics anytime soon. The tech mogul confirmed that his super PAC, America PAC, would continue to play a major role in future elections, saying it plans to “weigh in heavily” on the next midterm elections, as well as judicial races.

Musk also hinted at ongoing efforts to influence local elections, specifically district attorney and other judicial races, indicating his broader political strategy beyond the immediate election cycle.

Both parties deny Trump’s ‘massive cheating’ allegations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Update: 06:46 PM EST

In response to former President Trump’s recent claim of “massive cheating” in Philadelphia, officials from both major political parties are quickly pushing back.

Seth Bluestein, a Republican and one of three members of the Philadelphia election board, took to social media to refute the allegation, stating there is “absolutely no truth” to Trump’s claim. He called it “another example of disinformation,” emphasizing that voting in the city remains “safe and secure.”

Further backing up the statement, the Department of State under Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro assured that elections across Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, are “safe and secure.”

At the moment, Trump has not provided any specifics to support his accusation. His spokespersons have yet to respond to inquiries regarding the details of what was meant by the claim.

Georgia Secretary of State confirms bomb threats included Cyrillic letters

Update: 06:35 PM EST

Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, confirmed that bomb threats targeting voting sites across the state were made over the internet and included Cyrillic letters. This gave election officials a key clue about the possible origin of the threats.

In a briefing earlier this evening in Atlanta, Raffensperger detailed how state officials quickly responded, with the FBI soon joining the investigation. “We jumped on it quickly, and then the FBI followed our lead,” Raffensperger said.

The threats began to subside after the FBI released a public statement earlier today. Raffensperger remarked, “I guess they realized that dog won’t hunt today in Georgia,” signaling that the situation had de-escalated.

Pennsylvania’s Fayette County takes legal action to prevent unlawful hand count

Update: 06:15 PM EST

Fayette County, Pennsylvania, has filed a lawsuit to stop a local judge of elections from conducting a hand count of ballots, which they argue violates state election laws.

Marybeth Kuznik, the director of the Fayette County Bureau of Elections, reported in court documents that Vincent Manetta, the Washington Township Judge of Election, plans to remove ballots from the ballot box after polls close and perform an audit or hand count of the votes cast for each presidential candidate.

According to Kuznik, the Pennsylvania election code mandates that completed ballots must be processed using official tabulating equipment.

The county is seeking a judicial order to ensure that Manetta adheres to these regulations.

Turkish Supreme Election Council is in Washington D.C to observe U.S. elections

Update: 06:08 PM EST

Ahmet Yener, President of Türkiye’s Supreme Election Council (YSK), is currently observing the 2024 U.S. Presidential Elections in Washington, D.C., invited by the U.S. National Election Assistance Commission.

He plans to discuss the findings upon returning to Türkiye, particularly the potential adaptation of U.S. practices, such as electronic voting and mail-in ballots, to improve Türkiye’s electoral system.

Yener also mentioned ongoing efforts to study electoral systems globally, with future observations planned in several countries.

Trump suggests a massive cheating scheme in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Update: 05:27 PM EST

Former President Donald Trump alleged on Truth Social that there is “massive CHEATING” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and added, “Law Enforcement coming!”

Trump had recently filed a lawsuit against Bucks County, Pennslyvania over voter intimidation.

GOP optimistic about Georgia as high early voting turnout boosts confidence

Update: 04:53 PM EST

Republicans in Georgia are “optimistic” about winning the battleground state, according to party Chairman Josh McKoon. With both the Trump and Harris campaigns investing heavily in the state, high early voting turnout in rural areas has boosted GOP confidence.

With 16 electoral votes at stake, Harris and Trump held back-to-back rallies in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 2 and 3, respectively.

VP Harris to spend the election night without President Biden

Update: 04:34 PM EST

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris will spend election night without President Biden, who has been thoroughly reported as ‘invisible’ as election day approaches.

Harris will spend the night at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and economics.

US President Joe Biden, on the other hand, will watch the election results at the comfort of the White House alongside senior staff and aides.

Trump voters accuse Google of censorship in search results

Update: 3:45 PM EST

Google acknowledged Tuesday an issue that American users had pointed out as searches for “Where can I vote for Harris” would produce an interactive map tool for locating polling places, but similar searches for “Where can I vote for Trump” would not.

“The ‘where to vote’ panel is triggered for certain specific searches because Harris is also the name of a county in Texas,” Google explained in a statement.

The company assured that a fix was on the way, adding, “Note that very few people actually search for voting locations in this manner.”

Michigan man arrested for threatening attack if Trump wins election

Update: 3:35 PM EST

U.S. authorities arrested a 25-year-old Michigan man, Isaac Sissel, on Tuesday after he allegedly threatened to carry out a violent attack if former President Donald Trump wins the presidential election, CNN reported, citing prosecutors.

Sissel reportedly sent a threatening message to the FBI National Threat Operations Center in West Virginia, stating, “I shall carry out an attack against conservative Christian filth in the event Trump wins the election.”

He further claimed to possess a stolen AR-15 rifle and mentioned an unnamed target, saying, “Without a specific victim or ability to find the place I hid the gun, there’s not a thing the FBI can do until I complete the attack.”

Sissel is scheduled to make his first federal court appearance later on Tuesday.

Trump Media shares shortly experience sharp decline

Update: 3:22 PM EST

Trump Media & Technology Group’s shares recovered following a shock fall of nearly $6 in 15 minutes after which trading was halted for brief period.

The social media company, traded under the ticker $DJT in reference to former President Donald Trump’s initials, had risen 14% to $39 by 12:15 p.m. EST, adding half a billion dollars to Trump’s net worth in the final trading session ahead of election polls closing in the United States.

Elon Musk to spend election night with Trump at Mar-a-Lago

Update: 3:10 PM EST

Elon Musk plans to join former President Donald J. Trump on election night, giving Trump direct access to one of the most influential figures controlling a key information platform on what could be a turbulent evening.

Musk intends to spend part of the evening at Mar-a-Lago in Florida’s Palm Beach, where he will be among a select few watching election returns with Trump, The New York Times reported Tuesday citing three sources familiar with Musk’s schedule.

Trump is hosting multiple gatherings with varying levels of exclusivity, including a private dinner for a small group of donors at Mar-a-Lago. Later, Trump will address a larger crowd, including additional donors, at the Palm Beach Convention Center.

Musk has contributed at least $119 million to a super PAC backing Trump and has hosted campaign events in Pennsylvania.

FBI warns of bomb threats at polling stations linked to Russia

Update: 2:16 PM EST

The FBI issued a warning regarding bomb threats at polling stations across “multiple” U.S. states on Election Day, indicating that while the threats were not credible, many appeared to originate from Russian email domains. The alert came as authorities in Georgia reported disruptions to voting due to bomb threats that were linked to the same source.

FBI spokeswoman Savannah Syms stated, “None of the threats have been determined to be credible thus far,” but urged the public to “remain vigilant.”

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger confirmed that the state had identified the source of the threats, asserting that they originated from Russia, though he did not provide further details.

Meanwhile, an election official in Fulton County noted that polling places were briefly closed while the threats were investigated.

‘I feel very confident’ of victory, Trump says after casting vote

Update: 11:49 AM EST

Donald Trump feels “very confident” about winning back the White House, the Republican said Tuesday after casting his Election Day ballot in Florida in one of the most contentious US elections in decades.

“I feel very confident,” Trump told reporters at a voting facility in West Palm Beach, adding he believes he “ran a great campaign” against his Democratic rival Kamala Harris. Opinion polls show the race is a dead heat.

“If I lose an election, if it’s a fair election, I would be the first one to acknowledge it… So far I think it’s been fair,” Trump, repeating a caveat that he has used many times on the campaign trail, told reporters after voting in Florida.

Wearing a red “Make America Great Again” cap, he reiterated his previous criticism of electronic voting machines, suggesting they were less secure than paper ballots and would delay the outcome being known.

“They spend all this money on machines… If they would use paper ballots, voter ID, proof of citizenship, and one-day voting, it would all be over by 10 o’clock in the evening. It’s crazy,” he told reporters in West Palm Beach.

He added: “Do you know that paper is more sophisticated now than computers? If it’s watermarked paper you cannot… It’s unbelievable what happens with it. There’s nothing you can do to cheat.”

Asked about fears of unrest after the election and whether he would call on supporters to avoid violence, he criticized the question.

“I don’t have to tell them that, that there’ll be no violence. Of course there’ll be no violence. My supporters are not violent people,” Trump said.

Harris urges Americans to ‘get out and vote’

Update: 11:41 AM EST

Kamala Harris urged Americans to “get out and vote” on Election Day, particularly in battleground states, as her White House duel with Donald Trump reached its climax Tuesday.

“We’ve got to get it done. Today is voting day, and people need to get out and be active,” she said on Atlanta station WVEE-FM.