(c)(1) Whenever the difference between the number of votes received by a candidate who has been declared nominated for an office in a primary election or who has been declared elected to an office in an election or who has been declared eligible for a run-off primary or election and the number of votes received by any other candidate or candidates not declared so nominated or elected or eligible for a runoff shall be not more than 1 percent of the total votes which were cast for such office therein, any such candidate or candidates receiving a sufficient number of votes so that the difference between his or her vote and that of a candidate declared nominated, elected, or eligible for a runoff is not more than 1 percent of the total votes cast, within a period of two business days following the certification of the election results, shall have the right to a recount of the votes cast, if such request is made in writing by the losing candidate. If the office sought is a federal or state office voted upon by the electors of more than one county, the request shall be made to the Secretary of State who shall direct that the recount be performed in all counties in which electors voted for such office and notify the superintendents of the several counties involved of the request. In all other cases, the request shall be made to the superintendent. The superintendent or superintendents shall order a recount of such votes to be made immediately. If, upon such recount, it is determined that the original count was incorrect, the returns and all papers prepared by the superintendent, the superintendents, or the Secretary of State shall be corrected accordingly and the results recertified.

This year, a number of organizations are replacing traditional exit polls with VoteCast, a new survey tool developed by the Associated Press and the NORC at the University of Chicago that combines surveys of early voters, phone surveys and in-person polling at voting locations across the country.

The Miami Herald describes VoteCast’s data from Florida as follows:

Democrat Andrew Gillum had a sizable advantage over Republican Ron DeSantis among voters under 45 in the race for governor. Voters ages 45 and older were divided.

Black voters and Hispanic voters were more likely to support Gillum. White voters overall modestly supported DeSantis.

Whites without a college degree were more likely to support DeSantis. Conversely, white college graduates were split.

So, with 141 counties out of 159 counties reporting, Brian Kemp has a three-point lead over Stacey Abrams, according to the Secretary of State’s website. A little more than 100,000 votes separates her from the lead. The votes that are still coming in from the Atlanta-area counties are expected to go for Abrams.

Attendees at Abrams’ watch party are upbeat, hoping for a come-from-behind victory.

This is gonna be a long night. 

Congratulations Florida, you didn’t “monkey” this one up. You elected someone who racists think is a racist. You elected a Florida man.

Andrew Gillum, the Democratic nominee running to become the state’s first African American governor, conceded to Ron DeSantis, the blower of dog whistles, stoker of fears and acolyte of Donald Trump.

The television reports you see from Georgia are largely rural counties and early votes. People are still literally voting in Atlanta. Then the electronic memory cards must be physically taken to a location to be tabulated.

Multiple voters have reported that polling managers will allow citizens who were in line when polls closed to vote. Wait times were reported to be as long as two hours at 7 p.m. EST.

Also, I just ate some fish and grits.

Donald Trump just threw his half-empty family size bucket of KFC across the room.

Then this happened.

No, the other one.

Kansas Secretary of State, Chris Kobach, known as “The Most Racist Politician in America” who Trump tapped to lead his national investigation into nonexistent voter fraud, has been drubbed in the state’s Governor’s race.

As late as today, news outlets ran stories saying that Taylor Swift had caused such a voter surge in Tennessee that it would push Democrat Phil Dresden (D-Tenn.) to victory in the Senate race against Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).

I hate to say: “I told you so,” but...

Amendment 4 passes in Florida, restoring more than 1.4 residents with felonies there voting rights. One of those people is Marissa Alexander.

If you remember, she was prosecuted and served more than 5 years behind bars after firing a warning shot at her husband after she claims he threatened to kill her. She was at a watch party when she got news of Amendment 4's passing.

During a phone interview, Alexander said she was hyped about the news on Amendment 4 and ready to get people registered to vote for 2020.

Read a recent story from The Root about her here.

I’m here at Stacey Abrams’s headquarters here at the Hyatt Regency in downtown. I just got back from the Pittman Park polling station. Folks were still in line when I left. The same crew was working that station since 8 a.m.

Many people returned three or four times because the lines were so long.

Here at the Hyatt, the chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party just announced that several polling stations have been extended to 10 a.m. Expect a very long night for results to come in—as well as potential lawsuits challenging results if the numbers are close.

Today five Georgia citizens filed a last-minute lawsuit asking the U.S. District Court in Atlanta to stop Secretary of State and Republican gubernatorial nominee Brian Kemp from exercising his powers as the state’s chief election official.

The emergency legal papers seeking a temporary restraining order were filed at 5 p.m. Tuesday on behalf of five Georgians: LaTosha Brown, Jennifer N. Ide, Katharine Wilkinson, Candace Fowler of Dekalb County and Chalis Montgomery. The plaintiffs want to bar Kemp from being involved in the counting of votes, certification of results or any runoff or recount.

“Allowing one of the candidates to not just preside over their own election but misuse their office to give them an unfair advantage is just anti-democratic and unlawful” said “co-counsel Bryan L. Sells.

“Duh,” replied anyone with common sense.

Senior Reporter Terrell Starr phoned in this report from inside a polling station in Atlanta:

I am currently in a station in Southwest Atlanta where the doors to the polling station have closed as long lines of people are still waiting in line to vote. Voters claim that a judge has issued a ruling keeping the poll open, which has not been confirmed by the polling manager.

At issue is the potential voters were waiting in long lines ventured no further than 100 feet from the entrance of the voting location to grab some barbecue and the polling manager closed the doors. Voters say they assumed they would be allowed to cast their ballots if they were already in line.

The staff at the location says they have been understaffed and severely all day and need help from Fulton County. When the location, which combines two precincts, opened at 8 a.m., they only had three working voting machines, and were eventually afforded more. The wait to vote at this particular location has been as long as 4 hours and currently stands at a 2-hour wait with a hundred or so citizens still trying to exercise their right to vote at 8:03 p.m. EST

2 Officials from the U.S. Department of Justice of are currently on the scene and The Root will provide updates as available.

One has to believe the Universe has a sense of humor.

WSB-TV reports that Georgia’s Secretary of State and Republican nominee for governor went to vote today, only to be told that he was “invalid.”

The machines be knowing, yo. They be knowing.

NBC News reports that Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va) will keep his Senate Seat. 

Alabama’s incumbent Republican Governor running for re-election is Kay Ivey. This morning, a woman waltzed into the polls wearing a sweatshirt that read:

“THE ONLY IVEY WE ACKNOWLEDGE IS BLUE”

Here’s a heartbreaking story of a 92-year-old woman in Georgia who went to vote only to find out that her name had been purged from the rolls.

Voter suppression works.

So far, voting in Georgia has been going like Atlanta traffic, slow and frustrating with occasional movement. Thankfully, many Georgia citizens who spoke to The Root voted during the early voting period

The Atlanta Constitution Journal reports that a few voting locations in Gwinnett County, the most diverse county in the entire state, has experienced so many technical difficulties that the poll workers have decided to extend voting hours at a few sites.

Almost every voting machine in Georgia is at least 10 years old and runs on Windows 2000 software.While this may seem like a travesty, some voters who were waiting to vote for Brian Kemp might realize that he is the reason that most third-world countries run elections smoother than Georgia’s Secretary of State.

Or maybe this is all part of his plan.

I meant Brian Kemp, not God.