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Election Day updates: President Trump addresses nation as results pour in

ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s Election Day!

A long and challenging campaign season is coming to an end Tuesday. Voters cast their ballots for President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden as well as several local races.

>>> Click here for our latest coverage of the election <<<

2:20 a.m. update

President Donald Trump addresses nation

President Donald Trump is addressing the nation as election results continue to pour in overnight.

Watch his speech below:

WATCH LIVE: President Trump speaks with supporters

WATCH LIVE: President Donald Trump is speaking from the White House after Election Day. Read more: at.wftv.com/3oRLz1D

Posted by WFTV Channel 9 on Tuesday, November 3, 2020


1:30 a.m. update

Presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks to supporters

Presidential candidate Joe Biden spoke with his supporters early Wednesday morning as more state results poured in.

Watch his speech below:

WATCH LIVE: Presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks with supporters

WATCH LIVE: Presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks with his supporters as more state results pour in. Read more: at.wftv.com/3oRLz1D

Posted by WFTV Channel 9 on Tuesday, November 3, 2020

12:45 a.m. update

President Donald Trump wins Florida

Just as he did in 2016, President Donald Trump carried Florida in Tuesday’s presidential election.

The win means Trump earns the state’s 29 electoral college votes.

READ: President Trump takes Florida in 2020 presidential election

11:40 p.m. update

Osceola County results come in after delay due to internet outage

Initial election results from Osceola County have finally come in following a delay in reporting due to an internet outage. The results allow three races in the area to be called:

READ: 2020 Election: How to stay informed about Central Florida

11:15 p.m. update

Florida voters approve raising state’s minimum wage

Florida voters have approved an amendment raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour over the next six years.

READ: Central Florida Decides: Constitutional Amendments

11 p.m. update

Osceola County experiences internet outage at Supervisor of Elections Office.

Several races in Osceola County have yet to be called due to the ongoing internet outage at the Osceola County Supervisor of Elections Office.

So far, 95 out of 101 of the county’s precincts are reporting their results.

READ: Election Results: Central Florida Sheriff Races

As of now, the races for Osceola County sheriff, State House District 42 and Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney have yet to be called due to the delay in reporting.

Officials said they hope to have all of the Osceola County precincts reporting by midnight.

You can get live updates NOW on Channel 9.

10:20 p.m. update

Florida Rep. Anthony Sabatini reelected

Florida Rep. Anthony Sabatini won another term representing District 32, and Republican Keith Truenow defeated Democrat Crissy Stile for a seat in the Florida House to represent District 31.

READ: Central Florida Decides: Constitutional Amendments

9:55 p.m. update

Now 21 out of the 101 precincts in Osceola County are reporting. Results are slowly coming in to the Osceola County Supervisor of Elections. The data is having to be manually uploaded at the office due to a Spectrum internet outage.

9:31 p.m. update

Former Florida House member Jason Brodeur declared a win for the GOP on Tuesday night, holding on to a key seat in the Florida Senate with his win in Senate District 9.

Democrat Patricia Sigman conceded the race.

Stay tuned to TV27 on air and WFTV.com online for live election updates.

9:27 p.m. update

The Osceola County supervisor of elections told Channel 9 reporter Deanna Allbrittin that Spectrum told the office more than an hour ago that it would take an hour or two to get internet service back up. The office that that will delay results by at least an hour because locations like the one in Kenansville are 45 minutes away.

9:10 a.m. update

Democrat Carlos Guillermo Smith has won reelection to represent District 49 in the Florida House of Representatives.

8:57 p.m. update

Rick Staly has won the election for Flagler County sheriff.

8:52 p.m. update

An internet outage at the Osceola County Supervisor of Elections is delaying the county’s precincts reporting their results from today.

They are currently at 0% reporting because they can’t send the results to the supervisor’s office. The results will have to be delivered the old fashioned way with data brought to the office and uploaded.

Stay tuned to TV27 on air and WFTV.com online for live updates.

8:50 p.m. update

Amy Mercado has won the position of Orange County property appraiser. She will replace outgoing property appraiser Rick Singh.

READ: 2020 Election: How to stay informed about Central Florida

8:45 p.m. update

Wayne Ivey has won reelection as the Brevard County sheriff.

8:35 p.m. update

John Mina has been reelected as the Orange County Sheriff.

8:25 p.m. update

Dennis Lemma has won reelection as the Seminole County sheriff.

>>> CLICK HERE TO WATCH ELECTION RESULTS COME IN LIVE ON TV 27<<<

8:15 p.m. update

State Rep. Anna Eskamani has won her reelection to Florida’s House District 47 race, according to election officials.

Eskamani, the Democratic incumbent, defeated her challenger, Republican candidate Jeremy Sisson, according to data just released by election officials.

8:05 p.m. update

Republican Daniel Webster has won reelection in the U.S. House to represent Florida’s 11th Congressional District.

READ: 2020 Election: How to stay informed about Central Florida

8 p.m. update

Three incumbents in Central Florida have been reelected.

  • U.S. Rep. Val Demings will serve another term representing U.S. House District 10 after coming out on top in Tuesday’s general election.
  • Rep. Stephanie Murphy won reelection in U.S. House District 7.
  • And U.S. Rep. Darren Soto won reelection defeating Republican candidate Bill Olson.

7:35 p.m. update

According to the Associated Press, Republican Bill Posey, of Brevard County, has won reelection to U.S. House representing Florida’s 8th Congressional District.

READ: 2020 Election: How to stay informed about Central Florida

7:30 p.m. update

Channel 9 reporter Cierra Putman is reporting live from the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections office. She said in addition to news crews, citizens who want to watch the process and frustrated voters who are trying to drop off their ballots are also at the office.

7 p.m. update

As of 7 p.m., the majority of polls in Florida have closed.

You can watch live coverage of results as they come in as well as independent analysis NOW live on TV 27 and by clicking here.

Click here to check results on WFTV.com as they are tallied.

READ: 2020 Election: How to stay informed about Central Florida

6:50 p.m. update

Election attorneys are staging in key states, including Florida, in preparation for legal challenges around the election process and outcome.

In 2000, all eyes were on Florida. Legal challenges filed in Tallahassee made their way up to the state supreme court and federal court.

Attorneys have also descended upon Tallahassee just in case we have problems again.

6:20 p.m. update

More than 70% of registered voters have cast their ballots in Seminole County as of Tuesday evening.

Lines have been short and there have been few issues reported.

The population has changed in Seminole County since the last general election. There is almost as many Democrats as Republicans who are registered to vote, but it’s the non-party affiliated voters who will decide the outcome.

5:38 p.m. update

Volusia County is reporting that 75.85% of registered voters have cast their ballots so far. Long lines are still being reported outside of some polling places in the county.

5:30 p.m. update

In Orange County, most voters actually voting on Election Day encountered small lines and an easy process.

The county offered 14 days of early voting at 20 locations across the county and more than 260,000 people voted that way.

That’s in addition to the more than 275,000 mail-in ballots turned in before Election Day, which set a record.

“Well, when you look at it, we went into this morning with 62% of the voters having already voted, and now you’re spreading the voting out the 247 precincts over 12 hours,” Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles said.

As of 5 p.m., Orange County reported that 72.79% of voters had cast their ballots in the 2020 general election.

READ: Problems reported with thousands of vote-by-mail ballots in Florida

5:20 p.m. update

Some Orange County parents said they were shocked that Orange County Public Schools were being used as polling locations today.

The district has worked with the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office in the past, but some parents felt like this year should be an exception due to COVID-19.

OCPS said voters and poll workers are restricted to a designated area away from students and that visitors are also required to wear face coverings, socially distance and are offered hand sanitizer.

Channel 9 is tracking lines at polling places across Central Florida NOW on Eyewitness News. Click here to tune in live.

5 p.m. update

Orange County is reporting that more than 70% of its registered voters have cast their ballots so far.

The county’s canvassing board is set to meet this evening to look over problem ballots to see if they should be counted.

The county said it has around 800 ballots that still need to be fixed, which the supervisor of elections said is not a bad number.

Read: 2020 Election: How to stay informed about Central Florida

4:30 p.m. update

The line to vote at McInnis Elementary in Volusia County is stretching into the parking lot of the school.

Channel 9 is tracking lines at polling places across Central Florida NOW on Eyewitness News. Click here to tune in live.

3:20 p.m. update

Skywitness 9 flew over Discovery Intermediate School after the lockdown on its campus was lifted Tuesday afternoon. Officials said voting has resumed at the school.

WATCH LIVE: Osceola County polling location back open after lockdown

WATCH LIVE: Skywitness 9 is over an Osceola County polling site where a lockdown has just been lifted following non-election-related police activity nearby. READ LIVE ELECTION UPDATES >>> at.wftv.com/3emuAzw

Posted by WFTV Channel 9 on Tuesday, November 3, 2020

READ: Election 2020: Key dates for certification of Florida’s General Election results

2:30 p.m. update

Osceola County polling place reopens after lockdown

The Osceola County Supervisor of Elections said a polling location at Discovery Intermediate School that had been placed under a lockdown Tuesday afternoon has since reopened.

Read: People positive for COVID-19 can still vote in person, CDC says

The lockdown was not related to the election.

Deputies said the Poinciana-area school was placed on a lockdown as a precaution while they executed a search warrant.

Voting has resumed as normal.


2:15 p.m. update

Osceola County polling place on lockdown

The Osceola County Supervisor of Elections said it closed its polling location at Discovery Intermediate School in the Poinciana area Tuesday afternoon after the school was placed on a lockdown.

The lockdown is not directly tied to the election. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said its SWAT team is serving a felony warrant nearby and locked the school down as a precaution.

Read: 2020 Election: How to stay informed about Central Florida

“If this is your polling location you will need to come to the Elections Office to vote by mail,” elections officials said in a tweet. “We will post a notice if/when the polling location opens.”

The elections office is located at 2509 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway Kissimmee, FL 34744.

The agency also said voters who are assigned to the school may go to the Gym and Aquatic Center to vote a provisional ballot while the school is on lockdown.

Read: Channel 9′s Central Florida Voters Guide

The Center is located at 625 Country Club Dr Poinciana FL 34759.

Skywitness 9 is heading to the scene. Click here to watch live video once the helicopter arrives at the school.

Check back and watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News for live updates. Click here to download our free news app.

See a map of the school below:


1:40 p.m. update

Small line spotted at east Orange County polling place

Record turnout for vote-by-mail and early voting has kept lines short at many polling places in Central Florida.

Skywitness 9 flew to two polling sites in Osceola County but no lines were seen outside the buildings.

Read: 2020 Election: How to stay informed about Central Florida

On Tuesday afternoon, Skywitness 9 flew over Cypress Lakes Clubhouse near East Colonial Drive and Chuluota Road in east Orange County. Lines at that polling place were longer than most but still short.

Voters were seen standing six feet away from one another while in the line. See the video below:

Read: Channel 9′s Central Florida Voters Guide

WATCH LIVE: Voting lines in Orange County

WATCH LIVE: Skywitness 9 is over a line of people waiting to vote in Orange County. LIVE UPDATES >>> at.wftv.com/3emuAzw

Posted by WFTV Channel 9 on Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News, beginning at 4 p.m., for live updates on conditions at the polls.

Channel 9 will also have special live election coverage, beginning at 7 p.m. Click here to read about how you can watch “Central Florida Decides.”


12:45 p.m. update

Short lines reported at polling locations across Central Florida

Several polling locations across Central Florida have short lines on Election Day.

There were some lines early Tuesday morning when the polls opened but the lines.

Orange County Supervisor of Elections officials said they don’t expect people to be waiting in long lines due to the high early voter turn out.

About 60% of registered voters already had cast their ballots before Election Day in Orange County.

There was also a record number of people voting by mail.

A lot of the votes could already be counted by the time the polls close at 7 p.m.

11:35 a.m. update

Orange County leaders say you can still drop mail-in ballot off at select locations

Orange County leaders are urging voters to not put their mail-in ballots in the mail Tuesday if they still have it.

Voters can drop their mail-in ballots off at the Work Release Center across from the Supervisor of Elections Office or walk it into the office at 119 W Kaley Street.

Voters can also exchange their mail-in ballot for an in-person ballot at their assigned polling location.

10 a.m. update

Total number of Orange County votes surpass those in 2016 election

The total number of ballots cast in this year’s election in Orange County surpassed those cast in 2016, according to the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office.

In 2016, 565,843 voters cast ballots in Orange County. So far, 565,953 Orange County voters have cast a ballot in this year’s election.

8:50 a.m. update

Computer glitch tells some voters they weren’t registered in their precinct

The Lake County Supervisor of Elections Office said there was a computer problem in some precincts that said voters were not registered in that precinct.

Lake County Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays said the problem was addressed immediately.

READ: Election 2020: What to bring with you to the polls

Read the statement from the Lake County Supervisor of Elections below:

“This morning shortly after opening the polls, we identified a computer problem in some precincts that incorrectly identified some voters were not registered in that precinct. The problem was isolated immediately, and corrective action was initiated. The solution is being deployed and everything will be fine very shortly. We appreciate the patience of the voters as we correct this unfortunate inconvenience.”

7 a.m. update

Polling locations open in Central Florida

Polling locations opened across Central Florida at 7 a.m.

In Orange County, there were no lines outside the Supervisor of Elections Office.

If you are opting to vote at your polling location on Election Day, Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles recommends having a plan.

To find your polling location, click here.

Cowles recommends going to the polls around mid morning or mid afternoon to beat the last minute rush of those trying to vote before 7 p.m.

He said voters could be there for about 10 to 20 minutes if they plan ahead of time.

READ: 9 things to know about the Electoral College

In Winter Garden, a line was starting outside of the Tanner Hall polling location. Meteorologist Rusty McCranie said people started lining up to vote at about 6:30 a.m.

Click here to read the Election Day forecast.

6 a.m. update

Preparations underway ahead of Election Day

Many polling locations open at 7 a.m. in Central Florida. Voters will decide the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

A record number of people have already cast their ballots.

READ: Election Day 2020: Deals and freebies available on Tuesday

Nearly 100 million nationwide voted before Election Day, including more than 8 million in Florida.

Click here to see our voter’s guide.

Jason Kelly

Jason Kelly, WFTV.com

Jason Kelly joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2014. He serves as the station's Digital Executive Producer.

Katlyn Brieskorn, WFTV.com

Katlyn Brieskorn is a Digital Assignment Editor at WFTV. She joined Channel 9 in July 2019.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.

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