ATLANTA — For the second time this year, and the sixth time in the last two years, voters in the Peach State headed to the polls to cast their votes for U.S. Senate. And on Tuesday night, Democrat Raphael Warnock is the projected winner of the race.
The hugely consequential race put Warnock, the incumbent, against Republican challenger Herschel Walker.
Gabriel Sterling, an official with the Georgia's Secretary of State's Office, late Tuesday night that while their office doesn't call races, there weren't enough votes outstanding that would change the outcome.
"With the ballots out, with the margins that's there, we don't see foresee anything changing on that front," he said.
The outcome doesn't decide the balance of power in the Senate, as Georgia's runoffs in 2021 did, but it will have a deeply influential impact on the political makeup of the upper chamber of Congress and what kind of power Democrats could - or could not - wield with control of it.
Below are highlights from the night.
Raphael Warnock vs. Herschel Walker Georgia runoff live updates
11:50 p.m. | President Joe Biden posted on social media that he called Warnock to congratulate the senator on his win.
11:12 p.m. | Rev. Raphael Warnock stepped to the podium before midnight to claim victory over Georgia's Senate seat in front of a vivacious crowd.
Watch his remarks below:
11:09 p.m. | "I'm not going to make any excuses," Walker said in a concession speech.
Watch his full remarks below.
10:59 p.m. | Sen. Jon Ossoff congratulated Warnock on reelection.
"It is an honor to work every day for the people of Georgia with Reverend Raphael Warnock, and I congratulate my dear friend on his victory tonight. Reverend Warnock has won universal respect in the Senate for his moral clarity and dedication to public service, and I look forward to continue working side-by-side with Senator Reverend Warnock for our great state."
10:55 p.m. | "We do not call races, but there are not enough votes to change anything," Gabriel Sterling said Tuesday night after several media outlets called the race in favor of Warnock.
10:47 p.m. | Rev. Warnock claimed victory on Twitter Tuesday night, ahead of making his speech as the re-elected U.S. Senator of Georgia.
"Thank you, Georgia. We did it again," he posted to social media.
10:23 p.m. | It looks like Sen. Raphael Warnock will be keeping his seat.
The incumbent is the projected winner of Georgia's Senate runoff race, NBC reports. Shortly after, the Associated Press also called the race in favor of Warnock.
10:10 p.m. | Around half a million votes have already been counted in Georgia's Senate race.
Gabriel Sterling, with Georgia's Secretary of State's Office, said that number does not really include Election Day ballots from Fulton and DeKalb counties - emphasizing. He expects election officials to get more clarity in the race in the next hour or two.
"Fast is good," Sterling said. "Accurate is the more important this in this election."
10 p.m. | Lowndes County poll workers were involved in a crash while on their way to turn in votes, according to the Secretary of State's Office.
The two were in one car during the wreck and the airbags deployed, Gabriel Sterling said in Tuesday night's update. An official with the county's supervisor of elections office said they had to be cut out of the vehicle.
"The poll workers kept the cards safe and secure until they were turned over to the board member," a spokesperson with the supervisor of the elections office said.
The workers are OK and denied medical treatment, according to Sterling.
"There's tough cookies in South Georgia," Sterling said. "We're thankful that they're safe."
Sterling said the two were able to turn in the memory card with the votes to the office in Valdosta adding that the incident didn't derail the count.
9:45 p.m. | Officials with the Secretary of State's Office will provide an update on the runoff race.
Watch below:
9:10 p.m. | With a little over 40% of the precincts reporting, crowds are forming at each candidate's watch parties.
Sen. Warnock, the Democratic incumbent remains hopeful during his second consecutive runoff.
Attendees at Walker's campaign event are anticipating a celebration. The crowd continues to grow as more results roll in.
Here's an analysis of the early results so far.
8:33 p.m. | More than half of the votes cast in Georgia's Senate runoff have already been counted.
Election leaders did not offer a timeline of when all the votes would be counted, but expected around 1.4 million votes to be cast in Tuesday's election.
Watch live results below:
7:35 p.m. | Leaders with the Secretary of State Office provided an update shortly after polls closed saying only four polling locations needed to extend their time.
"This was a turnout race," Raffensperger said of the runoff.
He said voters from both parties were energized as were the candidates, and said, ultimately, it was a smooth election. He credited the systems in place.
Raffensperger said voting is like buying a Chick-fil-A sandwich on a Monday.
"No one likes waiting for anything," he said. "That's why lines had to be shorter."
7:20 p.m. | Results for the race are starting to roll in. Note that early numbers will be from the advanced voting period and the absentee ballot count.
For a county-by-county breakdown, click here.
7:10 p.m. | The polls are officially closed.
Fulton County election officials hosted a news conference at 7 p.m.
With no issues at the polls, election leaders said "we had such a great day today."
Promptly after polls closed, election officials said they will begin counting advance voting ballots and then absentee. They hope to get the early ballots done by 10 p.m. before beginning their Election Day count.
Leaders said they have 184,000 advance voting ballots to scan in the next few minutes. They believe more than 70,000 voters turned out in person across the county.
"Our goal is to be done before midnight tonight," they said.
Watch the update below:
6:30 p.m. | Georgia voters trying to make it to the polls before closing were met with dense fog.
6:07 p.m. | The Georgia Secretary of State's Office was scheduled to provide an update on the Senate runoff just before polls close at 6 p.m. The office has since pushed its update back to 7:30 p.m.
6:00 p.m. | There's an hour left to vote and already a million people have cast their ballots on this Election Day, according to the Secretary of State's Office.
Make sure to tag @11AliveNews when you #PostThePeach
5:45 p.m. | Voters are asked to be careful driving to and from the polls Tuesday evening.
A dense fog advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service in metro Atlanta and areas just north and east of the city. Visibility is at a quarter of a mile or less.
5:30 p.m. | After several people in Cobb County said they never received their absentee ballots, a judge extended the deadline for more than 3,400 voters. Those voters can mail back their completed ballot as long as it is received by Dec. 9 but it must be postmarked by 7 p.m. on runoff Election Day.
Affected Cobb County voters have the following ways to make sure their vote counts:
Received your ballot? Mail it in
- Fill out your ballot
- Make sure it's postmarked by Dec. 6
- Track your absentee ballot to make sure it's received by Dec. 9
Vote in person at your precinct
- Tell the poll workers you requested an absentee ballot
- If you received it in the mail, bring it with you
- If you didn't receive your ballot, sign an affidavit and then vote
Return your absentee ballot in person
- Make sure it is filled out
- Submit it to the Cobb County Elections Office by 7 p.m. on Dec. 6
- Or bring the ballot with you to your polling location and vote in person
Didn't receive your ballot? Use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot
- Print your federal ballot
- Follow the instructions, fill out the following paperwork
- Bring it to the Cobb County Elections Office or mail it there by Dec. 6
Watch the video below to learn more about the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot:
5:08 p.m. | It's been a gloomy runoff Election Day as cloud cover and showers have impacted parts of the state. The weather will warm up and clear out by 7 p.m., when polls close, according to 11Alive's Chief Meteorologist Chris Holcomb.
4:48 p.m. | Scott Elementary School is extending its voting time to 7:20 p.m.
Fulton County election officials were granted a court order extending the time at Precinct 09K Tuesday after a "public safety issue in the vicinity" of the school forced the polling location to close for 20 minutes.
The polling location is at 1752 Hollywood Road, Atlanta 30318.
4:41 p.m. | Just hours before polls close, both candidates are already setting up their watch parties to observe results roll in.
3:41 p.m. | Sterling said Tuesday's runoff election has seen a "pretty sizeable turnout."
He said around 80,000 people who voted early in the runoff did not vote in the general election, meaning new voters turned out for the follow-up election.
3:16 p.m. | With wait times and the work day winding down, voters are encouraged to know their polling location to be in line before the 7 p.m. deadline, when polls close. Here's how to find your voting location.
2:25 p.m. | Evangel Community Church has extended voting until 7:08 p.m., according to the Secretary of State's Office.
Citing a delayed opening, people will have a few extra minutes to cast their ballots in the Snellville location. People must be in line at Gwinnett County's Precinct 76 to cast their vote.
2:20 p.m. | In a mid-afternoon update, Chief Operating Officer of the Secretary of State Office Gabriel Sterling said things seem to be running smoothly.
Two locations extended polling hours: one location in Gwinnett County and the other in Walker County.
Average wait times at polling locations are around 2.5 minutes.
Three locations with the longest waits:
Allen Temple AME Church in Cherokee County - 32 minutes
Hopewell Baptist Church in Cherokee County - 35 minutes
Hopewell Middle School in Fulton County - 30 minutes
Watch the full update below:
2:17 p.m. | There are 7,866,677 registered voters in Georgia - but only 7,007,164 are considered active, meaning they've recently voted in an election.
According to the Secretary of State's Office, nearly a fifth of active voters have already cast their ballots for the Georgia runoff.
Read more about how the state determines active voters here.
1:15 p.m. | In need of a ride to the polls? Uber is partnering with Voters of Tomorrow to provide free rides to the polls for voters in Georgia. Use the code VoteGA to get a voucher.
1:11 p.m. | The Georgia Secretary of State's Office says the average wait time is down to 1 minute.
1:02 p.m. | Gabriel Sterling with the Secretary of State's office said over 8,000 Georgians have visited the My Voter Page today.
12:37 p.m. | According to the Georgia Secretary of State's Office, the average wait time statewide is 3 minute with 4 seconds for check ins. The longest right wait is 32 minutes in Cherokee County at Allen Temple.
12:00 p.m. | Sen. Warnock speaks to supporters on election day.
10:55 a.m. | We are stopping by the Warnock camp as they conduct an "Election Day Canvass Launch" this morning in Norcross.
10:45 a.m. | According to the county tracker, no wait time in Fulton County is more than 10 minutes -- with the majority at 0.
9:36 a.m. | Wait times in Georgia are now at 1 minute and 25 seconds.
9:31 a.m. | Herschel Walker spoke with media in at the Marietta Diner, where he said he had "no regrets" about running and even predicted the score of the UGA vs. Ohio State game.
9:05 a.m. | Gabriel Sterling says there are 1 minute 45 second wait times and 43 second check-in times statewide. There have been an estimated quarter million votes cast today so far.
9:00 a.m. | Officials with the Fulton County Board of Elections are providing an update on conditions at the polls as Georgians head out to vote in runoff.
8:50 a.m. | Wait times across the state are down to an average of 1 minute and 45 seconds, according to Gabriel Sterling.
8:30 a.m. | According to Gabriel Sterling wait times in Georgia are down to two minutes and three seconds average.
7:45 a.m. | Gabriel Sterling with the Georgia Secretary of State's Office says the average check in time is 44 seconds and estimates over 100,000 Georgians have cast their ballots this morning.
7:40 a.m. | Herschel Walker is attending a meet and greet in Marietta. 11Alive is already at the scene. Walker is expected to arrive at 8 a.m.
7:00 a.m. | Polls have now officially opened. They'll close at 7 p.m. tonight and, shortly after that, we'll begin to see returns roll in. There were some lines already forming before the election locations opened their doors.
A reminder: There may not be a clear winner even late into tonight. In November, Warnock was ahead of Walker by less than 1%, or a little more than 36,000 votes in raw totals.
That means if things are again razor-thin, it could take some time to see a winner emerge, as counties wrap up their counting and vote totals for categories such as military and overseas voters trickle in.
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