ATLANTA (AP) — The Latest on Georgia elections (all times local):
10:30 p.m.
Georgia Republican Johnny Isakson, who has won re-election to the U.S. Senate, proclaimed victory and praised his opponent in a speech to supporters at the state G.O.P.'s election night party in Atlanta.
Isakson said his challenger, Democrat Jim Barksdale, had called him moments ago to concede the race and congratulate him on the win, which Isakson said was a class act.
Isakson said "God bless him, I wish him the best of luck."
Barksdale is a newcomer to state politics and ran a sleepy campaign until early October, when he ramped up criticism of Isakson's continued endorsement of Trump.
Though he was expected to win, Isakson sometimes struggled to draw a line between himself and Trump while maintaining support for the party's divisive presidential nominee.
9:25 p.m.
Georgia Republican Johnny Isakson has won re-election to the U.S. Senate, holding off two challengers.
Isakson relied on a series of television ads focused on his Senate work, largely avoiding references to the presidential campaign. Though he was expected to win, Isakson sometimes struggled to draw a line between himself and Donald Trump while maintaining support for the party's divisive presidential nominee. The 71-year-old also dealt with questions about his health. He has Parkinson's disease.
Democrat Jim Barksdale is a newcomer to state politics and ran a sleepy campaign until early October when he ramped up criticism of Isakson's continued endorsement of Trump. But unofficial results suggest the shift was too little, too late.
9:05 p.m.
So far, so good.
That's the message from Georgia's top election official as results begin trickling in on Tuesday evening. Polls closed in Georgia at 7 p.m.
Security was a top concern for election officials across the country this year. Federal and state officials were on guard for attempted attacks by foreign or domestic groups trying to generate confusion or undermine confidence in the results.
Secretary of State Brian Kemp says that his office has prepared for any attempts to attack the website where unofficial results are posted. Kemp says the site is functioning as intended with no hint of trouble.
He says the agency has back-up plans to keep people and media around the state updates if the site was targeted. Kemp's comments came in an interview with WSB-TV.
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8:55 p.m.
Republican Drew Ferguson has been elected to Congress, where he will succeed retiring GOP Rep. Lynn Westmoreland.
Unofficial election returns Tuesday showed Ferguson, a dentist and former mayor of West Point, defeated Democrat Angela Pendley of Grantville in the 3rd District.
The west Georgia congressional seat became open when Westmoreland decided not to seek a seventh term in the U.S. House. Even with no incumbent on the ballot, the GOP and Ferguson had a big advantage because the district was drawn to favor Republicans.
Ferguson emerged as the Republican nominee to replace Westmoreland after a seven-way GOP primary race and a runoff. He raised more than $1.1 million for the election, while Pendley reported raising no cash.
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8:55 p.m.
Republican Rep. Austin Scott has been re-elected to serve a fourth term in his south Georgia district.
Unofficial election returns Tuesday showed Scott of Tifton defeated Democratic challenger James Neal Harris in the 8th Congressional District.
The 2016 campaign marked the first time Scott had faced opposition in the November general election since 2010, when he first won election to Congress by defeating Democratic Rep. Jim Marshall of Macon.
The Republican-leaning 8th District covers 24 south Georgia counties and includes the cities of Valdosta, Thomasville and Moultrie.
Harris, a private investigator and retired Bibb County sheriff's deputy, previously ran an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 2006.
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8:55 p.m.
Republican Rep. Rick Allen is returning to Washington for a second term in Congress.
Unofficial election returns Tuesday show Allen of Augusta defeated Democratic challenger Patricia McCracken in eastern Georgia's 12th District.
Allen, who owns a construction company, first won election to the U.S. House two years ago when he defeated Democratic Rep. John Barrow. The 12th District covers 19 mostly rural counties and includes the cities of Augusta, Statesboro and Vidalia.
Allen raised more than $1 million to defend his seat. McCracken, who ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2010, made little effort to challenge Allen. She had no campaign website. The Federal Election Commission said McCracken reported a little more than $20,000 in campaign cash — all of it her own money.
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8 p.m.
Trump-Pence buttons adorned many of the lapels of Republicans as they streamed into the Georgia G.O.P.'s watch party at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta hotel in the city's Buckhead neighborhood.
Two giant portraits of former President Ronald Reagan flanked both sides of the stage, with two more large Donald Trump and Mike Pence photos on the stage — a photo of the White House directly behind the podium.
Results were beginning to roll in on video screens in the hotel's ballroom, as Georgians awaited results in the presidential contest and also in the U.S. Senate contest that pits Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson against challengers Jim Barksdale, a Democrat, and Allen Buckley, a Libertarian.
In the parking lot outside the hotel, one car was plastered with two dozen Trump-Pence bumper stickers on its doors, windows and hood.
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6:50 p.m.
An election protection official says some voters were denied provisional ballots at several polling stations in Atlanta.
Georgia Election Protection coalition spokesman Harold Franklin says poll mangers refused to provide provisional ballots to voters on Tuesday. Franklins says they received reports that voters were given no reason of refusal at several stations including Therrell High School and the Tracey Wyatt Recreation Complex.
The Secretary of State officials say they have not received reports of provisional ballot denials.
Franklin claims voters who are eligible or entitled to a provisional ballot were denied. He did not know the amount of voters who were refused a provisional ballot, but said a bulk occurred in Fulton County.
Franklin says he spoke with Fulton County election officials, who he said told polling managers to provide voters with ballots.
The election protection team is organized by the Lawyers Committee for Civils Rights Under Law.
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6 p.m.
Officials say a polling station in suburban Atlanta was evacuated after a small electrical fire.
The DeKalb County Board of Registration said in a news release that All Saints Catholic in Dunwoody will remain open an additional 30 minutes after the fire occurred early Tuesday. The precinct was originally supposed close at 7 p.m.
Officials say firefighters responded to the fire around 11:50 a.m. at the church, which temporarily suspended voting and forced voters to evacuate.
Voting was interrupted between 11:40 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports there were technical glitches in Gwinnett County along with delays in openings at two polling sites.
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9:10 a.m.
Georgia voters are heading to the polls to determine whether the state will remain red or go to a Democratic presidential candidate.
Republicans remain confident they can keep the state in Donald Trump's column Tuesday. Public polling suggests Trump is clinging to a small lead over Hillary Clinton.
Voters also will decide whether to send Republican Johnny Isakson back to the U.S. Senate for a third term.
Isakson faces Democrat Jim Barksdale and Libertarian Allen Buckley on the ballot.
Eight U.S. House incumbents also face opposition.
Further down the ballot are four proposed amendments to Georgia's constitution. One would allow the state to take over public schools that consistently fail to meet standards.
Another amendment would impose a new tax on strip clubs.
Polls will remain open until 7 p.m.
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3:24 a.m.
Georgia voters will determine whether the state will remain red or go to a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time in more than 20 years.
Republicans remain confident they can keep the state in Donald Trump's column Tuesday. Public polling suggests Trump is clinging to a small lead over Hillary Clinton.
But Democrats hope Trump's unpopularity with minority voters and GOP-leaning women gives Clinton an opening.
Former president Bill Clinton is the last Democrat to take Georgia. That was in 1992.
President Barack Obama lost Georgia to John McCain by six points and to Mitt Romney by eight. Democrats here say even a closer loss than Obama's contests means Georgia is headed for battleground state status.
Polls are open 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
