ELECTION UPDATES: Trump campaign files lawsuit in Georgia, 3rd lawsuit overall
Click here for updated live election results.
UPDATE 7:04 P.M.: Trump campaign files lawsuit in 3rd state, Georgia, seeking to pause vote count in key battlegrounds according to the AP.
President Trump has slipped behind Democrat Joe Biden in the hunt for the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House as ABC News is reporting Biden has 253 to Trump's 214.
ABC News hasn't reported a winner for the following states Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennslyvania and Alaska.
The Associated Press is reporting the lawsuits in the three states are demanding better access for campaign observers to locations where ballots are being processed and counted.
The campaign is also expressing concerns over absentee ballots.
Trump sues in Pennsylvania, Michigan; asks for Wis. recount
UPDATE 4:30 P.M.: The Trump campaign says it has filed lawsuits Wednesday in Pennsylvania and Michigan, laying the groundwork for contesting the outcome in undecided battleground states that could determine whether President Donald Trump gets another four years in the White House.
Suits in both states are demanding better access for campaign observers to locations where ballots are being processed and counted, the campaign says. The campaign also is seeking to intervene in a Pennsylvania case at the Supreme Court that deals with whether ballots received up to three days after the election can be counted, deputy campaign manager Justin Clark says.
The campaign also says it will ask for a recount in Wisconsin, a state The Associated Press called for Biden on Wednesday afternoon.
Biden projected to win Michigan
UPDATE 4:10 P.M.: Multiple news outlets have projected a win for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in Michigan.
The former vice president will receive Michigan's 16 electoral votes, bringing Biden's Electoral College total to 253, per ABC News. Counting continues in several states, including battlegrounds Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Nevada.
UPDATE 3:55 P.M.: President Donald Trump's campaign has declared victory in Pennsylvania.
Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and son Eric Trump appeared at a news conference in Philadelphia on Wednesday, alleging irregularities in the vote count and stressing the president's lead in the state as ballot-counting continues.
Watch a replay of the news conference in the player below.
Biden wins Wisconsin, presidency still hangs in balance
Watch playback of Biden's remarks in the player below.
UPDATE 3 P.M.: Joe Biden has won Wisconsin, reclaiming a key part of the "blue wall" that slipped away from Democrats four years ago and narrowing President Donald Trump's pathway to reelection.
But neither candidate has cleared the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House, and the margins are tight in several fiercely contested states,. Those include the Great Lakes battlegrounds of Michigan and Pennsylvania.
But Biden's victory in Wisconsin, one of the most fiercely contested states, looms as an important step to the White House.
Trump campaign files lawsuit in Michigan and requests recount in Wisconsin
UPDATE 1:23 P.M.: President Donald Trump's campaign has filed suit in Michigan for access to see ballots being counted and requested a recount in Wisconsin where the difference is a little more than 20,000 votes.
Wednesday afternoon, CNN called Wisconsin for Biden awarding his campaign 10 more electoral college votes.
Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said about the lawsuit the "campaign has not been provided with meaningful access to numerous counting locations to observe the opening of ballots and the counting process, as guaranteed by Michigan law."
The lawsuit calls for the state to stop counting ballots until access has been granted to the campaign.
Stepien said in a separate post on the campaign website, "the president is well within his right to request a recount."
As of Wednesday, more than 3.2 million votes had been counted in Wisconsin. Biden held a slim lead with 49.4% over Trump's 48.8%.
Trump won Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016.
Biden to speak about election Wednesday afternoon
UPDATE 12:40 P.M.: Joe Biden will address the election results Wednesday afternoon, even as it remains too early for The Associated Press to call the presidential race.
The Democratic presidential candidate will issue a televised address in Wilmington, Delaware. He’s been watching the returns come in with family from his home there.
Biden’s campaign manager expressed confidence in an eventual win for Democrats during a call with reporters earlier Wednesday, pointing to their projections of the outcome in Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
But the AP is not calling the presidential race yet because neither candidate has secured the 270 Electoral College votes needed for victory. The AP called Arizona for Biden, but several key states remain too early to call: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Nevada.
As it stands, Biden has 238 electoral votes, while Trump has 214.
UPDATE 11:20 A.M.: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is discounting President Donald Trump’s early claim that he'd already won the election, saying it’s going to take a while for states to conduct their vote counts.
The Kentucky Republican and Trump ally said Wednesday that “claiming you’ve won the election is different from finishing the counting,” The Associated Press reported.
McConnell also says he is untroubled by Trump’s vows to contest the vote count in key states, telling reporters in Louisville that “you should not be shocked that both sides are going to have lawyers there.”
He added that “the courts will decide disputes. That’s the way we do it in this country.”
Early Wednesday, Trump said, “We will win this, and as far as I’m concerned we already have won it.”
But the outcome is still unclear in key states Trump would need if he is to win against Democrat Joe Biden.
Crucial swing states still too close to call
UPDATE 7:30 A.M.
Several swing states across the country are still counting ballots with nine states still to be decided in the presidential election.
Wisconsin is now reporting 91 percent of votes, with democratic candidate Joe Biden holding a very slim lead of about 21,000 votes.
Arizona is still trending towards Joe Biden as well, with the former Vice President up five percentage points with about 82 percent reporting.
President Donald Trump is currently ahead in a few battleground states with leads in Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania has been counting ballots overnight. The state has only reported about 27 percent of their early and absentee votes.
Pennsylvania said it may be Friday before the final tally is in.
Missourians approve Amendment 3
UPDATE 1:45 A.M.: Missourians approved Amendment 3 Tuesday, which will transfer the responsibility of redistricting back to a governor-appointed committee.
Amendment 3 passed with a margin of just under 60,000 votes. Slightly more than 51 percent of Missouri voters approved the amendment.
Voters changed the redistricting process in 2018 when they approved putting redistricting in the hands of an independent, non-partisan demographer.
With the passage of Amendment 3, the governor will return to appointing a committee to draw districts.
Legislative districts will be drawn after the results of the 2020 census are released.
UPDATE 12:15 A.M.: Republican state Sen. Caleb Rowden said after his victory Tuesday night that he had just weathered his hardest campaign.
Rowden was elected to the Missouri House before moving up to the Senate in 2016. Democrat Judy Baker, a former Missouri House member, challenged him in a race that drew attention and resources from both major parties.
ABC 17 News interviewed Rowden after the win. Watch the video below.
UPDATE 11:44 P.M.: Chariton County reported an 80-percent voter turnout in tonight's election.
The county voted more than 70-percent of the time for Republicans at the state and national level.
The county voted for Jared Meyer as the associate Commissioner Eastern District with 51.8-percent of the vote.
Terry Milford beat Danny Price for the associated Commissioner Western District with 61.5-percent of the vote.
Chariton County also elected Erick Billups sheriff with 72-percent of the vote.
Republicans sweep area legislative seats
UPDATE 11:30 P.M.: Republican state Sen. Caleb Rowden has won a second term.
Rowden fended off a challenge from Democrat Judy Baker, a former House member and regional Obama administration official, to retain his 19th Senate District seat with 52% of the vote. Both the GOP and the Democratic Party had targeted the race, with Democrats hoping to flip the district and strip the Senate majority leader of his seat.
Rowden served in the state House before winning election to the Senate in 2016.
Republicans also retained House districts in Boone County.
- Cheri Toalson Reisch won an easy victory of Democrat Jacque Sample in the 44th House District;
- Chuck Basye retained his 47th House District seat, fending off Democrat Adrian Plank for a second time;
- Sara Walsh easily defeated Democratic newcomer Kari Chesney in the 50th House District, getting 59% of the vote;
- Bruce Sassman got 80% of the vote in the 62nd House District against Democrat Nancy Ragan;
- Denny Hoskins won his bid for the 21st Senate District over Libertarian Mark Bliss with 80% of the vote;
- Tim Taylor won the 48th House District with 68% of the vote, defeating Democrat Bill Betteridge;
- Republican Kurtis Gregory took 75% of the vote in the 51st House District;
- Ed Lewis got 77% of the vote in the Sixth House District against Democrat Terrence Fiala.
UPDATE 11:15 P.M.: Boone County’s incumbent Southern District commissioner has been defeated after one term.
Voters sent Republican Fred Parry packing on Tuesday, delivering a win to Democratic newcomer Justin Aldred. Aldred defeated Parry by about 2,500 votes – 25,361 to 22,830. In the Northern District commission race, Democratic incumbent Janet Thompson fended off a challenge from Republican political newcomer Tristan Asbury with a more than 2,000-vote margin.
Parry was the only Republican on the commission.
“The voters of Boone County have spoken and, while I’m disappointed, I respect their decision,” Parry said in a written statement. “It has been my highest honor to serve on the Boone County Commission.”
“There’s a lot of work to do here in Boone County to start the recovery from the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic and I’ll do what I can to assist my successor in those efforts,” Parry said. “I want to thank the record number of voters who took the time today to participate in this very important process. I pledge to do everything in my power to ensure a smooth transition.”
Incumbent Democratic Sheriff Dwayne Carey won a resounding victory, defeating his Republican challenger, Charles Blair, by about 19,000 votes.
Voters in Centralia and Hallsville shot down use tax proposals.
In the race for Division 4 circuit judge, Republican Josh Devine defeated Democrat Andy Hirth. Devine carried Boone County by about 400 votes but won the election by a margin of about 10,000 on the strength of Republican voters in Callaway County.
Boone County voters overwhelming rejected President Donald Trump’s bid for a second term and favored Democrat Nicole Galloway’s losing bid to unseat Mike Parson as governor. They also voted strongly against Amendment 3, which would change the state’s process for redrawing legislative districts
Parson accepts victory; Galloway concedes
Watch Gov. Mike Parson's victory speech and state Auditor Nicole Galloway's concession speech below.
UPDATE 11:08 P.M.: All 21 precincts are reporting for Callaway County and 73-percent of registered voters casted a ballot; a four percent incrase from 2016.
The county voted for President Trump by a nearly 3 to 1 vote with residents casting 14,812 votes to Democrat Biden's 5,868 vote.
The county also voted to support Gov. Mike Parson with 14,949 votes to challenger Nicole Galloway's 5,607 votes.
Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe won by a similar margin of 15,657 votes to challenger Alissia Canady's 4,714 ballots cast.
In the County Commissioner for Eastern District race, Randall Kleindienst recieved 6,536 votes and beat Donnie Horstman who got 2,811 votes.
The county also voted to support Amendment 3 by a tally of 11,413 yes and 9,018 voted no.
City of Paris votes to forgo uncontested elections
UPDATE 10:50 P.M.: Monroe County voters overwhelmingly supports Republicans at the state and national level.
The county voted for Marilyn O'Bannon to be their Western District Commissioner.
The county also voted for Melinda James to be the next assessor beating Tammy Breid.
Jessica Chase beat Tara Garside to be the next Monroe County Public Administrator.
The city of Paris also voted to be able to forgo uncontested elections.
Howard County votes for Western District Commissioner, Sheriff and Coroner
UPDATE 10:40 P.M.: Howard County voters have elected three new job holders in the county.
Challenger Jeff Oswald received 2,801 votes and unseated incumbent Mike Neal who got 2,151 votes.
Mathew Freese received 1,458 votes to beat Charlie Polson who received 1,012 votes for the Western District Commissioner race.
Howard County will also have a new coroner. Trisha Clark won with 2,615 votes to Frank Flaspohler 2,161 votes.
UPDATE 10:15 P.M.: Boone County's incumbent sheriff appears set to win another term.
Democrat Dwayne Carey, who has been in office for 16 years, was on his way to an overwhelming victory Tuesday night. With about 70% of precincts reporting Carey was ahead by more than 26,000 votes.
Janet Thompson, the incumbent Democratic commissioner for the county's Northern District, held a nearly 5,000 vote lead with about 60% of precincts reporting. However, incumbent Republican Fred Parry was losing in the race to keep his Southern District seat against Democratic newcomer Justin Aldred.
In the race for Division 4 circuit judge, Democrat Andy Hirth was in the lead against Republican Josh Devine by about 5,000 votes. Devine was appointed to the seat by Gov. Mike Parson.
In Centralia, voters were poised to shoot down a 2-cent use tax wit three of five precincts.
Maries County votes to elect Harold "Chris" Heitman as sheriff
UPDATE 9:54 P.M.: Maries County is reporting unofficial numbers with 11 of 11 precincts reporting.
President Donald Trumps received 3,890 votes to Democrat Joseph Biden's 814 Libertarian Jo Jorgensen received 50 of the votes.
Gov. Mike Parson received 3,873 votes to Galloway's 815.
Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe won the county with 4,012 votes to Democrat challenger Alissia Canady's 665 votes.
Maries County residents voted for incumbent Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer with 3,883 votes to challenger Megan Rezabek's 740 votes.
In the Maries County Sheriff's race, Harold "Chris" Heitman won tonight with 3,119 to Buddy Thompson's 1,623 votes.
Maries County voters ended up voting to support Amendment 3 with 2,830 votes for and 1,770 votes no.
Amendment 3 would change the way the state draws its legislative districts. Republican majorities in the state House and Senate put the amendment on the ballot and several local legislators have encouraged its approval.
UPDATE 9:45 P.M.: Republican Mike Parson has won the Missouri governor's race, defeating Democratic state Auditor Nicole Galloway for the chance to serve a full term in the role he inherited when his predecessor resigned under a cloud of scandal two years ago, The Associated Press reported.
Parson, a former state representative and sheriff, campaigned on law-and-order issues heading into Tuesday's election and fought off criticism from Galloway over his laissez faire approach to the coronavirus pandemic.
Parson was elected lieutenant governor in 2016 and ascended to the top job two years later when Republican Gov. Eric Greitens resigned amid a scandal.
UPDATE 9:40 P.M.: President Donald Trump has won the state of Missouri.
The Republican nominee on Tuesday was awarded its 10 electoral votes, according to The Associated Press.
In 2016, Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in the state by 18 percentage points.
ABC News had not moved Missouri into the Trump column yet as of about 9:30 p.m. The network had former Vice President Joe Biden with 93 Electoral College votes compared to 89 for President Donald Trump.
UPDATE 9:20 P.M.: Cole County is reporting unofficial numbers in the 2020 election.
President Donald Trumps has 26,066 votes to Democrat Joseph Biden's 12,687. Libertarian Jo Jorgensen received 602 of the votes.
The county continues to support Republicans for major office in Missouri.
Gov. Mike Parson had more than a 2-1 vote lead against challenger Nicole Galloway. Gov. Parson's received 26,867 votes to Galloway's 11,719.
Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe won the county with 72.3-percent of the vote.
Cole County residents voted for incumbent Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer with 70.8-percent of the vote over challenger Megan Rezabek.
Cole County voters ended up voting to support Amendment 3 with 21,068 votes for and 17,728 votes no.
Amendment 3 would change the way the state draws its legislative districts. Republican majorities in the state House and Senate put the amendment on the ballot and several local legislators have encouraged its approval.
UPDATE 9:15 P.M.: Republican members of Congress swept their contests Tuesday in Mid-Missouri.
ABC News called the Third Congressional District for incumbent Republican Blaine Luetkemeyer, whose district includes Jefferson City. The network called the Sixth Congressional District, which includes Chariton and Randolph counties, for incumbent Republican Sam Graves. ABC had already called the Fouth Congressional District for Vicky Hartzler.
Luetkemeyer had 70% of the vote with about 22% of votes in. Graves took 68% of the vote with about 35% of votes counted, the network reported.
Cooper County goes for Republicans
Cooper County's votes are all tallied, and voters there went heavily in favor of Republican candidates.
President Donald Trump, Gov. Mike Parson, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Secretary of State John Ashcroft all handily took their races in Cooper County, as did other Republican statewide officeholders.
Cooper County voters also favored Republican incumbent state Sen. Caleb Rowden. Rowden drew 6,524 votes compared to Democrat Judy Baker's 2,077. The two are vying for the 19th Senate District seat, which covers Cooper and Boone County. Most Boone County precinct totals are yet to be reported.
Cooper County voters chose Republican Paula Sims over Democrat Wendy Wooldridge for public administrator. Republicans ran unopposed in other county offices.
Cooper County voters also went in favor of Amendment 3, with 4,871 yes votes to 3,562 no votes.
UPDATE 9 P.M.: Miller County voters is reporting final numbers tonight.
President Donald Trumps won the county with 10,175 votes to Democrat Joseph Biden's 2,038. Libertarian Jo Jorgensen received 133 of the votes.
The county supported all the Republicans for major office in the state.
Gov. Mike Parson won the county with 82.8-percent of the vote compared to 15.3 for challenger Nicole Galloway.
Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe won by a larger margin by with 85.2-percent of the vote compared to challenger Alissia Canady got 12.6-percent of the vote.
Miller County residents voted for incumbent Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer with 10,287 votes and only 1,687 votes for Megan Rezabek.
Miller County voters came out for Amendment 3 with 66.3-percent of the vote. Amendment 3 would change the way the state draws its legislative districts. Republican majorities in the state House and Senate put the amendment on the ballot and several local legislators have encouraged its approval.
UPDATE 8:55 P.M.: Absentee ballots have now been cast in Boone County.
The county clerk’s office reported nearly 28,000 absentee ballots counted Tuesday night. Those voters overwhelmingly picked Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden over Republican President Donald Trump, 19,888-7,391.
Absentee voters in reliably Democratic Boone County also selected former county treasurer Nicole Galloway over Republican Mike Parson in the Missouri gubernatorial race. County voters also came out heavily against Amendment 3, which would take the redrawing of legislative districts out of the hands of a non-partisan demographer and back under a panel of political appointees.
Boone County residents also went heavily against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, who won reelection to the Fourth Congressional District on Tuesday.
Boone County absentee ballots also favored Democrat Judy Baker in her race with incumbent Republican state Sent. Caleb Rowden in the 19th Senate District. Democrat Kari Chesney also won the absentee Boone County vote in her challenge of 50th House District Rep. Sara Walsh, R-Ashland.
Democrats also had strong leads among absentee Boone County voters in the two county commission races. Justin Aldred drew more absentee votes than incumbent Republican Fred Parry in the commission’s Southern District and incumbent Democrat Janet Thompson was leading against Republican challenger Tristan Asbury in the Northern District.
UPDATE 8:45 P.M.: Cole County voters continue to vote Republican as 10 of 29 precincts have been counted.
President Donald Trump's lead continues to grow in the county with nearly 60-percent of the vote so far.
Trump has 11,927 votes to Biden's 7,565 votes. Libertarian Jo Jorgensen has 258 votes.
All of the major state elections saw Republicans expand their lead from Cole County with Gov. Mike Parson bringing in 62.8-percent of the vote.
Currently, Parson's challenger Nicole Galloway has 34.9-percent of the vote.
Cole County voters continue to strengthen the lead for incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer with a 66-percent of the vote against Democrat challenger Megan Rezabek's 31.5-percent. Luetkemeyer's lead has gone up by 5 points with more precincts reporting.
Incumbent Republican state Rep. Dave Griffith continues to lead Democrat Joshua Dunne.
More Cole County voters came out against Amendment 3, which would change the way the state draws its legislative districts.
UPDATE 8:25 P.M.: Republican U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler has won reelection in Missouri's Fourth Congressional District, which represents much of Mid-Missouri.
ABC News called the race for Hartzler with many ballots yet to be counted. The network reported Hartzler had 77% of the vote with about 11% of the ballots in the Fourth tallied.
Hartzler was first elected to the seat in 2010, defeating longtime Democratic officeholder Ike Skelton. She was a member of the Missouri House before that and was the spokeswoman for the 2004 amendment to ban gay marriage in Missouri.
The district includes several Mid-Missouri counties and stretches to the state's western border.
UPDATE 8:00 P.M.: Boone County Clerk is reporting unofficial turnout numbers for 2020.
According to Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon, 91,675 Boone County residents voted this year compared to 85,012 in 2016.
Lennon tweeted out there were 63,026 in person ballots cast and 28,649 absentee ballots cast in 2020.
The voter turnout was 78.3-percent in 2016 compared to 69.9-percent in 2020. There were 22,459 more registered voters in 2020.
UPDATE 7:43 P.M.: President Donald Trump easily beat former Vice President Joe Biden among Cole County absentee voters Tuesday.
Trump got 5,120 votes to Biden's 4,649 votes. Libertarian Jo Jorgensen drew 84 of the 9,920 absentee ballots counted.
Absentee voters in the reliably Republican county continued in that pattern Tuesday, also favoring Gov. Mike Parson over challenger Nicole Galloway and Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Cole County resident.
Cole County's absentee voters also came out strongly in favor of incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, who is facing a challenge from Democrat Megan Rezabek in the Third Congressional District.
Incumbent Republican state Rep. Dave Griffith drew more absentee ballots than the challenger in the 60th House District, Democrat Joshua Dunne.
Cole County absentee voters also came out against Amendment 3, which would change the way the state draws its legislative districts. Republican majorities in the state House and Senate put the amendment on the ballot and several local legislators have encouraged its approval.
Complete election results are available at this link.
UPDATE 7:20 P.M.: President Donald Trump has won Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee, while Democrat Joe Biden has won Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island, the Associated Press reported.
The results were not a surprise. Biden is very strong in the states that went for him, just as Trump is strong in the states he won.
Trump takes 33 electoral votes for winning those four states, while Biden adds 69 electoral votes to his total for winning seven states.
UPDATE 7:14 P.M.: With zero percent reporting ABC News has called Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington D.C., New Jersey and Delaware for former vice president Joe Biden.
Biden was awarded 55 electoral votes for the group of eastern states.
Hillary Clinton won each of the states in 2016.
UPDATE 6:55 P.M.: The Associated Press has called Virginia for former Vice President Joe Biden.
Biden will be awarded the state's 13 electoral votes.
Democrat Hillary Clinton won Virginia over Republican Donald Trump in 2016, helped in part by her choice of running mate: Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine.
Virginia has grown increasingly liberal over the last four years, and as a result of the 2019 elections, Democrats now control every branch of government in the state.
UPDATE 6:40 P.M.: Election results are starting to come in from the eastern time zone as polls close.
Eastern time zone states where polling ended at 7 p.m. have begun to report numbers. Media outlets including The Associated Press have called Kentucky and West Virginia for President Donald Trump and Vermont for former Vice President Joe Biden.
ABC 17 News will post the popular and Electoral College results in the presidential race throughout the night at this link.
UPDATE 4:30 P.M.: Overall turnout for the presidential election in Boone County has exceeded 60%.
About 41% of Boone County's approximately 130,000 voters had cast ballots in-person Tuesday by 4 p.m., according to the Boone County Clerk's Office.
When absentee and mail ballots cast before Election Day are factored in, turnout was at 62%. Polls remain open until 7 p.m. and anyone in line to vote by that time will be able to vote, officials say.
The heavy turnout combined with social distancing measures in place because of COVID-19 led to long lines at some Boone County polls Tuesday morning. However, many of those lines had disappeared by afternoon.
One Columbia voter said the COVID-19 measures in place were reassuring.
"It was awesome in there, they had everyone spaced out," Tave Crump said. "When you're standing in line it was more than 6 feet apart ... when you went to check in they gave you your own pen and they used your own pen to sign things. So I thought they did a really good job. Everybody has masks on, everybody's practicing social distancing and I think they did a really good job from a COVID perspective."
UPDATE 1:40 P.M.: The Boone County Clerk's Office says turnout is at 55.8% when absentee and Election Day ballots are combined.
Election Day turnout alone was at 34.5% at about 1:30 p.m. Polls close at 7 p.m.
Turnout for the 2016 presidential election in Boone County was 78.3%.
UPDATE 1:25 P.M.: Polling places remained busy in Boone County into the afternoon Tuesday.
Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said at about 1 p.m. that approximately 45,000 voters had cast ballots on Election Day for a turnout of about 33%. That number does not count the 28,335 absentee ballots that have already arrived at Lennon's office. About 130,000 voters are registered in Boone County, meaning combined turnout is already greater than 50%.
Lennon said so far only minor issues with equipment and logistics have been reported at Boone County precincts.
ORIGINAL: Voters continued to encounter lines outside polling places Tuesday morning thanks to a combination of high turnout for the presidential election and social distancing because of COVID-19.
The Boone County Clerk's Office said turnout as of 10 a.m. was about 20%. Polls opened at 6 a.m.
Voting at Mill Creek Elementary in south Columbia took about 45 minutes for voters who showed up mid-morning.
Voters were moving quickly through the universal polling place at Mizzou Arena as of noon. Many of those voters are University of Missouri students.
Lines had also formed at some Cole County polling places. A small line wound outside of the Blair Oaks School District polling place Tuesday morning.
Cole County Clerk Steve Korsmeyer said the lines are moving quickly despite their length.
Social distancing rules because of COVID-19 are making lines seem longer than usual, Korsmeyer said.
