Election Day Live Updates | Secretary of State provides voting update
ATLANTA - It's Election Day and millions of people are still expected to vote across the state of Georgia despite the fact that over 55% of Georgia's 7.2 million active voters have already cast their ballots.
RELATED: What we know about Georgia's 4M votes already cast ahead of Election Day
In addition to choosing the next President of the United States, voters will also vote on 3 ballot amendments and referendums and cast their votes in a variety of local elections.
10:35 A.M. | The Secretary of State is providing an update on voting in the state of Georgia.
10:05 A.M. | Fulton County provides an update on voting and threats received in Fulton County. According to officials, 5 non-credible bomb threats were received Tuesday morning and 2 locations – Darnell Senior Center in Union City and Gullatt Elementary School -- were temporarily evacuated. They are currently in the process of obtaining a court order to allow those locations to remain open at least 30 minutes later to accommodate voters.
Additionally, approximately 29,500 ballots have been cast so far in Fulton County.
The Southern Law Poverty Center also sent the following statement to the media:
The Southern Poverty Law Center is aware of attempts to disrupt the voting process at a handful of polling locations in Georgia today. Bad actors have called in harmful, often baseless, threats – and in doing so have tried to disrupt the voting process.
We want to let media know that voting rights groups are working right now to get polling hours extended for affected voters.
The most important thing today is that voters feel like they can trust the voting process, and that they know where, when, and how to cast their ballots. Safety and security measures remain in place to respond and maintain voter safety.
9:25 A.M. | Feldwood Elementary School has been cleared and no evidence of a bomb was found at Feldwood or any other polling station or school in South Fulton, according to the police department. No one was evacuated during the investigation and polling was not interrupted.
Official Statement from the South Fulton Police Department (via Tori Cooper, spokesperson for South Fulton Police Department)
This morning, Fulton County School Police received information indicating that several schools were allegedly going to receive bomb threats around 8:15 a.m. While no threats have been received at any elementary schools, officers were immediately dispatched to conduct precautionary sweeps of multiple campuses to ensure campuses and polling locations were secure. Due to the election, Fulton County School students are not on campuses today and it is a teacher planning day.
In collaboration, the South Fulton Police Department deployed additional response teams to assist in securing campuses in the district. At this time, we do not believe these threats are credible. However, given that many of these school locations are also polling sites, we recognize the potential for further attempts by bad actors to cause panic and disruption. Feldwood Elementary School and its polling location were not evacuated or closed and nothing suspicious was found.
Our priority is to maintain a safe and orderly environment for both teachers and voters. We will continue using our additional resources to ensure minimal disruption throughout the day. We encourage the public to remain calm and vigilant, and we appreciate the community’s cooperation as we work to safeguard our schools and community spaces.
8:57 A.M. | ACLU of Georgia posts helpful information on voter rights.
8:54 A.M. | A polling location in South Fulton, Feldwood Elementary School, has received a bomb threat, according to South Fulton Police Department Chief Keith Meadows. No other information is available at this time. FOX 5 Atlanta has a crew on the way to the scene.
8:35 A.M. | Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer for Georgia's Secretary of State's Office, says the average check-in speed around Georgia right now is 49 seconds.
8:15 A.M. | Kamala for Georgia posts phone number for voters to call if they have questions about voting today.
8:02 A.M. | Gov. Brian Kemp reminds voters that it is easy to vote and hard to cheat in the Peach State.
8:01 A.M. | Jimmy Carter Presidential Library encourages voters to exercise their voting rights. Former President Jimmy Carter cast his vote earlier this month. READ STORY.
7:35 A.M. | Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer for Georgia's Secretary of State's Office, reports a "smooth opening around the state of Georgia." Sterling reminds voters they can find their polling place by checking the My Voter Page.
Sen. Jason Esteves, who represents parts of Atlanta's westside, north Atlanta and Cobb County, posts photo showing a line at a polling station in his precinct.
7:21 A.M. | Fulton County reminds voters that absentee ballots must be received by 7 p.m.
7 A.M. | Polls are now open across the state. They will remain open until 7 p.m. Anyone in line at that time will be allowed to cast their vote.
According to election officials, the bulk of the results for the state should be tabulated and posted one hour after the polls close tonight at 8 p.m.
6 A.M. | According to the Associated Press, a former Trump aide and longtime congressman are likely to win in high-profile Georgia races. READ STORY.
Important to know
The Georgia Supreme Court has stayed the current deadline to accept absentee ballots, following delays attributed to an equipment failure and a surge in last-minute applications. The Republican National Committee and Georgia Republican Party's lawsuit led to the reversal of the extended deadline by the state’s highest court, with a split amongst justices in the decision. READ STORY.
FOX 5 Atlanta and FOX LOCAL will provide the most up-to-date election news throughout the day. Click here to find out how to watch FOX 5 Atlanta for free on FOX LOCAL. FOX 5 Atlanta will also provide poll results as soon as they are available on FOX5Atlanta.com.