OK. This is it. The polls have closed, and it's time to tally up them votes.
After all the handshakes and ads and campaigning and the spending of millions upon millions of dollars, the time has finally come to announce who the winners are in Florida's midterm election.
We could be in for a long night as precincts tally things up and races remain razor thin. So keep it here throughout the evening as we announce the winners of each race.
11:23 - There will be no recount. The AP is reporting that Crist has called Scott to concede.
11:00 - There are several reports floating about that Crist will not concede and that his campaign may be asking for a recount.
According to @jenntitus10 reporting from #CharlieCrist election headquarters, #Crist will be calling for a recount pic.twitter.com/wkHF3mSETC
— 10 News (@WTSP10News) November 5, 2014Other reports are refuting this.
Crist Campaign source: not aware of any plans to call for a recount @WPTV #Decision2014
— Jay Cashmere (@JayCashmere) November 5, 201410:40 - A main culprit for Crist losing? Voter turnout in Broward County.
Broward turnout 43.5%, below statewide average of about 50%.
— Amy Sherman (@AmySherman1) November 5, 2014Miami-Dade also reportedly had a poor turnout (39%).
10:20 - The AP is calling the governor's race for Rick Scott.
BREAKING: GOP Rick Scott wins re-election as governor of Florida. @AP race call at 10:20 p.m. EST. #Election2014 #APracecall
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 5, 201410:15 - Rick Scott maintains a 1% lead over Charlie Crist with 98% of the precincts reporting.
Scott has the edge, but it's coming down to the wire.
9:58 -
We needed 60%. We came close. We tried our best, this is only the first battle. We will win this war! #BELIEVE!!! #MedicalMarijuana
— John Morgan (@JohnMorganESQ) November 5, 20149:29 - Amendment 2 has been rejected.
It got the majority of the votes (57%) but not enough to get what it needed to pass.
9:25 - The governor's race might be coming down to Broward, which might be an issue if, at the end of the night, it's too close to call. There might be a reason the Crist camp wanted those polls to remain open til 9:00
In Broward, 820 absentee ballots rejected. Most were missing signature, but some signed in wrong spot or had signatures that didn't match.
— Amy Sherman (@AmySherman1) November 5, 20149:18 - Amendment 2 still falling short of the 60 percent needed.
With 74 percent of the precincts reporting, it remains 57 percent to 43 percent
8:54 -
Dan Gelber said Broward issue isn't just long lines. Problem is "too many people who were unable to find the right polling place." #FLVotes
— Katie Sanders (@KatieLSanders) November 5, 20148:40 - Most of the precincts that have reported in for the governor's race are coming from the Panhandle. The south east part of the state has yet to report. So, it's still anyone's race....
8:33 - Rick Scott is taking an overall lead over Charlie Crist 49 to 47 percent.
8:30 - Amendment 2 update: with 19 percent of the precincts reporting so far, it's 57 percent Yes - 43 percent no. Still short of the 60 percent it needs to pass. It's still early, but the amendment is coming up short early on.
8:37 - Amendment 1 -- the conservation program wins 75 percent to 25 percent.
8:19 - Pam Bondi has been re-elected as Florida's Attorney General, defeating challenger George Sheldon.
8:00 - According to Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes, the main reason Crist's motion was rejected was due to the lateness of the motion filed. She also told the media that it's possible that some in Broward may still be in line waiting to vote, but gave no specific numbers. She stressed that no voter was turned away or failed to vote.
7:54 - The Judge has rejected Crist's motion.
Judge Tuter rejected Crist motion at 7:50 said Mike Ryan, lawyer for Dem Party.
— Amy Sherman (@AmySherman1) November 5, 20147:50 - The Crist campaign, sighting confusion and technical issues in Broward County, are still waiting for a ruling to extend the polls to 9:00 p.m.
7:40 - Story of the night so far is Crist's strong early showing in absentee/early voting.
With 7 percent of precincts reporting across the state: - Charlie Crist 50 percent - Rick Scott 45 percent - Adrian Wyllie 4 percent
In Broward County, it's Crist 70 percent - Scott 26 percent
In Palm Beach County, Crist leads Scott 62 percent to 35 percent
7:28 - The passing of the Broward school bond is off to a huge start with 72 percent of the vote saying YES to having taxpayers foot the $800 million bill that will help repair public school building safety issues, such as drainage issues, windows, and roofs in disrepair. The funds would also be used to provide security cameras for schools.
7:20 - Crist coming in with a strong showing so far in absentee/early voting in Broward as well: 70 percent to 26 percent
7:15 - According to the Herald Tribune, Crist won absentee/early voting in Sarasota by a very slim margin.
@CharlieCrist won absentee/early voting in Sarasota county. 48.5 to 46.9.
— Jeremy Wallace (@JeremySWallace) November 5, 2014Right now this doesn't mean much, but it could be a sign that it's going to come down to the wire. Which is what we all expected anyway.
7:00 - Charlie Crist has filed an emergency motion to keep polls open until 9:00 in Broward County.
#Crist for Governor campaign filing an emergency motion to extend voting hours in Broward County from 7pm -9pm. #Election2014
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) November 4, 2014The Crist for Governor campaign is filing an emergency motion to extend voting hours in Broward County from 7pm to 9pm.
— Amy Hollyfield (@amy_hollyfield) November 4, 2014.@CharlieCrist camp goes to court seeking extended voting in Broward after "individual & systemic breakdowns" at polls
— George Bennett (@gbennettpost) November 4, 2014Brow SOE Fred Bellis says all precincts closed. Maybe 6-10 still have lines of 30-40 min waits.
— Amy Sherman (@AmySherman1) November 5, 2014Send your story tips to the author, Chris Joseph. Follow Chris Joseph on Twitter
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