Polls have closed in some states for Election Day 2024, and now the waiting begins.
All signs point to historic turnout across Maine and the country. Before polls even opened Tuesday, roughly 40% of registered voters here had cast ballots, and there were long lines for in-person voting in many communities, including many who were registering for the first time.
That could mean slow vote counting and delayed results as the evening progresses.
The winner in the closely watched presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump may remain unknown for days if tallies are close in battleground states.
In Maine, we’ll also be watching a U.S. Senate race, two U.S. House of Representative races – including one of the closest in the country in the 2nd Congressional District – 186 seats in the Maine Legislature, five statewide ballot questions – including whether the official state flag should be changed to look more like the simpler, original version from 1901 – and a host of municipal races and ballot questions.
• Find results for all Maine races here
• Additional results and electoral maps from across the country
7:45 – Portland residents still voting well into the evening
At 7:15 the line outside the Portland Expo Center stretched down the block.
Grayson Lookner, Nancy English and Wes Pelletier were all at the Expo greeting voters, they are all running for Portland City Council. Lookner is seeking an at-large seat, which he would serve in tandem with his role as a state representative.
“I’m cautiously optimistic,” said Lookner. “Regardless of what happens I’ll be serving in the legislature for the city of Portland.”
Pelletier said he also felt optimistic about his race but that because the city uses rank choice voting, it would be hard to predict.
English said she had enjoyed running her campaign and meeting voters on election day. All three candidates said they had spent the entire day at the polls.
“I did my very best, I canvassed every little block in District 2,” said English. “It’s been wonderful to meet all the people in District 2, there’s so many different kinds of people.”
Allie Liberatore, 24, said she waited two hours to vote at the Expo Center. She said she ranked Lookner as her first choice in the at-large race followed by Jess Falero and Ben Grant. In the District 2 race, she ranked English first followed by Atiim Boykin and Pelletier.
“I felt like those candidates had factual proposals versus just ideas,” said Liberatore.
– Grace Benninghoff, Portland Press Herald
7:20 – Voting still going strong in Cape Elizabeth
CAPE ELIZABETH — Voters were still rolling into the polls Tuesday evening at Cape Elizabeth High School, where the turnout had been “pleasantly steady” all day, said Town Clerk Angela Frawley.
“We had a strong start, when people flooded in, and we had some lines,” Frawley said. “We had some surges throughout the day, but mostly it was steady.”
More than half of Cape Elizabeth’s registered voters – about 4,500 residents – cast absentee ballots early, she said.
“I bet we’ll be over 80% in the end,” she said. “That’s my prediction. Cape Elizabeth always has a high turnout.”
It’s Frawley’s first presidential election since she became town clerk earlier this year. A former division chief in the Portland Fire Department, she was dressed for the occasion with a U.S. flag necklace and earrings.
“A lot of people seemed to be in a really good mood,” Frawley said. “There’s a lot of joy in voting for many people.”
Jeremy Perkins was among the later voters in Cape Elizabeth. He wasn’t drawn by a particular race or issue.
“I’ve voted every election since I was 18,” he said. “Regardless of what’s on the ballot, I’m going to be here.”
This year he also wanted to set a good example for his partner’s daughter, Brooke Giroux, 18, a University of Southern Maine student who was voting for the first time.
“I was feeling mostly anxious because it was my first time,” she said. “But it was important to me personally because I want to have my rights.”
– Kelley Bouchard, Portland Press Herald
7:10 p.m. — Associated Press calls Kentucky, West Virginia and Indiana for Trump; Vermont for Harris
Almost immediately after polls closed in some states at 7 p.m., the Associated Press started making calls.
Donald Trump is projected to win the heavily Republican states of Kentucky and West Virginia, as well as Indiana. Kamala Harris is projected to win Vermont.
Although no actual results have been tabulated, the AP and other news outlets call states for candidates based on exit polling and other data. States that are called early in the evening are likely to be states where either Trump or Harris has major electoral advantages.
In several other states where polls closed early, including Georgia, Ohio and Virginia, the race was too close to call.
Check back here for live updates throughout the evening.
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