Georgia Election Updates | Gov. Brian Kemp congratulates Donald Trump

ATLANTA - The voters have spoken, awarding Donald J. Trump Georgia's 16 electoral votes. Retaking the state helped push him over the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch his White House bid.

It was a record-breaking turnout in Georgia with millions casting their votes. Going into Tuesday's voting, more than 55% of Georgia's 7.2 million active voters had already cast their ballots.

The results can be found here.

In addition to choosing the next President of the United States, voters decided on three ballot amendments and referendums and cast their votes in a variety of local elections. 

Here are the latest headlines:

12:34 P.M. | Gov. Brian Kemp congratulated President-elect Donald Trump on social media. The relationship between Kemp and Trump has been rocky at times although Kemp ultimately supported the former president in his new bid for the White House.

6:20 A.M. | The progressive prosecutor in the Georgia county where Laken Riley was found murdered by an illegal immigrant has lost her reelection bid in a landslide to her Republican challenger.

Deborah Gonzalez, the district attorney of Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties, lost to Kalki Yalamanchili by 75% of the vote.

5:36 A.M. | The Associated Press has called the race for former President Donald Trump, saying he will be the 47th president of the United States. 

The Republican former president won over frustrated voters with bold promises that his fiery brand of America-first economic populism and conservative culture would make their lives better. He will be tested immediately, however, and there are reasons to believe his plans for mass deportations and huge tariffs may hurt the very people who enabled his victory.

Still, he is set to enter the White House on Jan. 20, 2025, from an undisputed position of strength. With votes still being counted, he could become the first Republican in two decades to win the popular vote.

2:32 A.M. | Trump vows to fight "for your family and your future" in speech to supporters.

2:28 A.M. | Donald J. Trump claims victory, addressing a Florida crowd.

2:25 A.M. | The Associated Press projects Trump has won Pennsylvania.

1:45 A.M. | Donald J. Trump is projected to become the next President of the United States, according to the FOX News Decision Desk, after Wisconsin was called in his favor.

1:25 A.M. | The Fox News Decision Desk has called Pennsylvania for Trump, putting him within reach of 270 electoral votes needed to win.

1 A.M. | The Associated Press now joins FOX News in calling Georgia for Trump.

12:50 A.M. | A representative for Vice President Kamala Harris says she will not be speaking before a crowd at Howard University as the race is too close to call.

12:45 A.M. | Former President Donald Trump is projected to take Georgia's 16 electoral votes, according to FOX News.

Midnight | The race in Georgia is still too close to call as election night turns into election overnight. 

11:15 P.M. | Gwinnett County elections officials say there was a delay with the adjudication software which provided slow results, but that has been resolved. Gwinnett County's turnout is expected to be around 100,000.

10:40 P.M. | "Donald J. Trump has an insurmountable lead with a number of votes outstanding," Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told reporters during a late-night briefing. The race is still to close to call.

9:50 P.M. | Gwinnett County is only reporting returns in the teens. FOX 5 is working to find out the reason it is behind other metro Atlanta counties.

9:30 P.M. | Only one Georgia House race has not been called by the major outlets. That is the 2nd Congressional District in southwest Georgia.

9:15 P.M. | Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, the Georgia prosecutor who brought  charges against former President Donald Trump over efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, has won her bid for reelection. Willis, a Democrat, defeated Republican challenger Courtney Kramer, who had interned in the White House counsel's office during the Trump presidency and is active in GOP organizations. Fulton County, which is home to 11% of the state's electorate and includes most of the city of Atlanta, is a Democratic stronghold. Click here to read more.

9 P.M. | Beyond the presidential race, Georgia's most competitive elections this year were in a handful of its 180 state House districts. Democrats are trying to reduce the Republicans' current 102-78 majority in the lower chamber of the General Assembly. 

The hardest fought districts included six stretching across northern Atlanta suburbs in Fulton and Gwinnett counties. Each party was trying to wrest away three districts held by the other. Democrats campaigned on overturning Georgia's current abortion restrictions, doing more to limit guns, and expanding the Medicaid program to more low-income adults. Republicans touted their support for low taxes, police and school vouchers.

8:45 P.M. | Supporters say it will protect current homeowners from ever-higher property tax bills, but opponents warn that the caps will unfairly shift the burden onto new homeowners, renters and other property holders.

Voters also approved another referendum that would raise the value of business property such as machinery that could be deducted from property taxes. Also on the ballot was the creation of a statewide tax court.

 Georgia is one of eight states where voters were deciding property tax measures on Tuesday, showing how rising tax bills are influencing politics nationwide. 

 From 2018 to 2022, the total assessed value of property across Georgia rose by nearly 39%, according to the Georgia Department of Revenue. Most governments pocketed increased revenues without raising tax rates, boosting employee pay and other spending. 

Lawmakers proposed the amendment after hearing from constituents angry about rising tax bills. The protection will last as long as someone owns their home. The assessed value will reset to the market value when a home is sold, with new homeowners then getting the benefit of the cap on the higher price.

Dozens of Georgia counties, cities and school systems already operate under local assessment caps. But school systems have been wary, warning the cap could starve them of needed funds. Most school districts can't raise property tax rates above a certain level. 

To ease schools' concerns, the measure gives local governments and school districts until March 1 to opt out. Any that do not will be permanently governed by the cap.

8:30 P.M. | Former Donald Trump aide Brian Jack won election to Congress from Georgia on Tuesday, leaving no distance between himself and Trump in winning his first term. 

Jack's victory came as longtime incumbent Democrat Sanford Bishop sought a 17th term in Congress in southwest Georgia's 2nd Congressional District. 

Those were the two highest-profile congressional races in the state in an election where no statewide candidates were on the ballot. Voters across Georgia also approved a measure limiting increases in a home's value for property tax purposes. But the most competitive elections were in a handful of state House races, where Democrats are trying to reduce the Republican majority.

Both major parties contested all 14 of Georgia's congressional districts, where Republicans held a 9-5 majority before Tuesday. Many incumbents were easily breezing to victory Tuesday, including Marjorie Taylor Greene in northwest Georgia's 14th District.

Jack won Georgia's 3rd District south and west of Atlanta. He defeated Democrat Maura Keller in a GOP-tilting seat that was open because U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson is retiring.

 A 36-year-old Peachtree City native, Jack was the political director in Trump's White House and later worked for U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Trump's repeated endorsement and access to McCarthy's fundraising network  carried Jack to victory in a crowded Republican primary. Keller is a retired Army lieutenant colonel and Fayetteville resident. 

7:25 P.M. | Fulton County officials give an update on Election Day.

The Fulton County police chief said that they had an officer at each of the 177 polling locations. They handled 32 bomb threats through the day with only five evacuations. So, far, there have been no threats to the election hub.

Ballots are being transported from several locations and will roll in incrementally throughout the night. They expect all ballots to be tabulated by 11 p.m.

7:23 P.M. | DeKalb County police say no bombs were found in any of the precincts.

7:06 P.M. | DeKalb County police have cleared the following locations and voting has resumed:

• New Bethel AME Church, 8350 Rockbridge Rd., Lithonia
• North DeKalb Senior Center, 3393 Malone Dr., Chamblee
• Reid H. Cofer Library, 5234 Lavista Rd., Tucker
• Wesley Chapel Library, 2861 Wesley Chapel Rd., Decatur

7 P.M. | Most polls in Georgia have closed, but anyone who is in line can still vote.

6:45 P.M. | A total of 15 polling locations in Georgia will be open later than the 7 p.m. deadline.

At a briefing shortly before polls closed in most places in the Peach State, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said a total of 12 precincts were forced to extend their hours due to threats at the locations. Six of those were in DeKalb County, five in Fulton County, and one in Gwinnett County.

"We know where it’s coming from, the FBI knows where it’s coming from," Raffensperger said, adding that he is frustrated as an American that someone would want to disrupt elections.

Raffensperger says that other precincts in Atlanta were also being swept after threats but were allowed to remain open.

An additional two precincts in Cobb County and one in Glynn County will also remain open late due to other issues.

"If you are in line at 7 p.m., stay in line, you can vote," he added.

He said about 1.2 million voters have voted. Adding the 4.3 million voters that took advantage of the early voting period, it would be a record-breaking election in Georgia.

6:10 P.M. | FOX 5 has received reports of a bomb threat at the Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library on LaVista Road. A FOX 5 reporter drove by the scene just moments ago to see police blocking off the library parking lot and people standing across the street.

DeKalb County Voter Registration & Elections says this is just one of the locations which have received threats as Election Day entered its final hours on Tuesday.

Officials say DeKalb County Police Department are performing bomb sweeps at the following precincts:

• ·New Bethel AME Church, 8350 Rockbridge Rd., Lithonia
• ·New Life Community Center, 3592 Flat Shoals Rd., Decatur
• ·North DeKalb Senior Center, 3393 Malone Dr., Chamblee
• ·Reid H. Cofer Library, 5234 Lavista Rd., Tucker
• ·Wesley Chapel Library, 2861 Wesley Chapel Rd., Decatur

Other locations:

• ·Stonecrest (Old Sam’s Club) – this is not an active polling location.
• ·Salem Panola Library, 5137 Salem Rd., Lithonia

"Every asset that we have will be deployed to ensure that every citizen who wants to vote will be given that opportunity and every vote cast will be counted," DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond wrote in a statement.

"Rest assured that we are working quickly to ensure every voter will have an opportunity to cast their ballot despite these bomb threats," said DeKalb VRE Executive Director Keisha Smith. "Out of an abundance of caution, we are suspending voting at these polling locations until we have clearance from DeKalb Police to reopen the facilities."

Police are not sure if the threats are credible or part of an ongoing attack by foreign actors to disrupt voting. Officials are working to get a court order to extend voting hours at the locations to allow voters back in after each location is cleared.

6 P.M. | One hour is left for most polling locations in Georgia.

5:56 P.M. | Georgia Republican Chair Josh McKoon says with early turnout, he is "cautiously optimistic."

5:41 P.M. | Fulton County has had poll hours extended at five different locations:

• Etris Darnell Community Center – Open until 7:45 p.m.
• C.H. Gullatt Elementary School – Open until 7:15 p.m.
• Southwest Arts Center – Open until 7:43 p.m.
• Northwood Elementary School – Open until 7:45 p.m.
• Lake Forest Elementary School – Open until 7:10 p.m.

A Fulton County Superior Court judge ordered the late closures due to earlier unfounded bomb threats. The county joins Gwinnett and Cobb with polling locations being opened past the typical 7 p.m. deadline.

5:12 P.M. | The Gwinnett County Board of Registrations and Elections requested the Superior Court of Gwinnett County to extend voting at one polling location past 7 p.m. tonight:

Mountain Park Activity Building (Precincts 52 and 112, located at 1063 Rockbridge Road, Stone Mountain) is open until 7:58 p.m.

This is in addition to earlier polls in Cobb County extending its hours. A Cobb County Superior Court Judge has issued an order to keep two Cobb County voting precincts open until 7:20 p.m. after delayed openings caused by equipment issues. The locations are: Marietta 6B at Mount Paran Church of God, 1700 Allgood Road, NE, Marietta, and Kell 01 at Kell High School, 4770 Lee Waters Road, Marietta. Voters should be aware that, due to federal races on the ballot, anyone casting a ballot at these precincts during the extended hours will need to vote via a provisional ballot.

5 P.M. | Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was joined by former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin in a bipartisan effort to ensure voting in swing states is secure. They are part of the Democracy Defense Project, along with former governors Roy Barns and Nathan Deal. Here's what they had to say:

Raffensperger also revealed that many of the threats made in Georgia on Election Day originated in Russia.

4:15 P.M. | Multiple polling locations in Fulton County were the targets of bomb threats. Here's the latest on the investigation.

4:03 P.M. | The Secretary of State’s Office has been busy all day monitoring this crucial election. Here’s the latest from the election headquarters:

3:52 P.M. | The Georgia Secretary of State's Office is reminding those voting by absentee ballot to check to ensure their ballots have been received. If not, there is still time to go to a polling location to vote in person. Ballots can be checked by going to https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/.

3:38 P.M. | Hall County election officials are advising voters headed to The Venue at Friendship Springs precinct to vote will need to use the physical address of 7340 Friendship Springs Boulevard in their navigation apps to get there. 

3:34 P.M. | The Georgia's Own Credit Union building in downtown Atlanta is reminding people to go out to vote.

2:40 P.M. | Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger provided another update about voting in Georgia on Election Day. Raffensperger told the media there have only been a few minor issues at polling precincts around the state, mostly related to bomb hoaxes linked to Russia. However, because of those hoaxes, approximately a dozen polling locations will stay open past 7 p.m. Raffensperger told the media that he would provide more information on the polling locations affected after the press conference.

Additionally, Raffensperger mentioned an issue with a space heater in Peach County but said that it did not cause any delays.

More than 700,000 Georgians have voted so far on Election Day and more than 1.1 million are expected to vote before the polls close tonight. 

Raffensperger is expected to provide another update in a couple of hours. 

The FBI also released a statement related to the bomb threats:

The FBI is aware of bomb threats to polling locations in several states, many of which appear to originate from Russian email domains. None of the threats have been determined to be credible thus far.

Election integrity is among the FBI’s highest priorities. We will continue to work closely with our state and local law enforcement partners to respond to any threats to our elections and to protect our communities as Americans exercise their right to vote.

As always, we urge the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to state or local law enforcement, or submit tips to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or online at tips.fbi.gov.

2 P.M. | Gwinnett County police were called to investigate a bomb threat to a polling station on Rockbridge Road SW. The threat was deemed non-credible and police have given the all clear. Officials say there was only a "slight disruption."

1:26 P.M. | Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer for Georgia's Secretary of State's Office, is reminding voters to double check their polling locations. 

1 P.M. | A Cobb County Superior Court Judge has issued an order to keep two Cobb County voting precincts open until 7:20 p.m. after delayed openings caused by equipment issues. The locations are: Marietta 6B at Mount Paran Church of God, 1700 Allgood Road, NE, Marietta, and Kell 01 at Kell High School, 4770 Lee Waters Road, Marietta. Voters should be aware that, due to federal races on the ballot, anyone casting a ballot at these precincts during the extended hours will need to vote via a provisional ballot.

12 P.M. | The FBI has issued a statement on the inauthentic use of the bureau's name and insignia in promoting false election-related narratives. They specifically mention a video that claims prisons in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona rigged inmate voting and colluded with a political party. READ STATEMENT. 

11 A.M. | Vice President Kamala Harris calls into popular Big Tigger Morning Show on V-103 in Atlanta to discuss how her policies would impact Black men and the historical implications of the election. According to the Associated Press, Harris also honed in on the theme of helping regular Americans while Trump wants back in the White House so that he can strike out at his enemies. READ MORE. 

10:44 A.M. | Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer for Georgia's Secretary of State's Office, posts about video claiming Haitian illegals are voting in Georgia. Sterling says that the man who posted the video was paid by Russians.

10:35 A.M. | Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says it's been "smooth sailing" so far for the state of Georgia and voters are in and out at most locations in under 10 minutes. Raffensperger told reporters that more than 1 million voters are expected to vote today and most results would be known from the larger counties by 8 p.m. although it may take smaller counties a little more time to report. Additionally, Raffensperger said officials believe the bomb threats received this morning were from Russia and said "Russians are not our friends." 

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. WATCH FULL BRIEFING.

Additionally, approximately 29,500 ballots have been cast so far in Fulton County and approximately 100,000 are expected.  

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.

8:10 A.M. | Georgia Republicans posts helpful information for voters who believe they have seen something suspicious at the polls.

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 member of congress 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. 

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