(WXYZ) — After months of frequent visits to Michigan from both presidential campaigns, Election Day has come and gone.
Here's a look at what's happening across metro Detroit.
For updates on the election across the country, click here.
FOR LIVE ELECTION DAY RESULTS, CLICK HERE.
Check out our live Election Day blog below:
Wednesday 5:40 p.m.
7 News Detroit editorial director Chuck Stokes joined anchors Simon Shaykhet and Carolyn Clifford for further analysis of the election. The looked at a few of the races that will shape metro Detroit moving forward. You can watch the analyis below:
Wednesday 5 p.m.
Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the country Wednesday from her alma mater Howard University after losing the presidential race. As she conceded, Harris said the country must accept the election results and added that she "does not concede the fight that fueled this campaign." You can watch her speech below:
"So let me say, my heart is full today. My heart is full today — full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country and full of resolve," Harris said. "The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for, but hear me when I say the light of America's promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting."
She thanked her husband Doug Emhoff, President Joe Biden and his wife Jill, her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his family, her supporters, her campaign team, volunteers and poll workers.
“It is OK to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it’s going to be OK," Harris said. “Sometimes the fight takes a while... That doesn’t mean we won’t win."
She said she and Biden's team "will engage in a peaceful transfer of power."
Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
Republican Mike Rogers has conceded to U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin in the U.S. Senate race in Michigan.
Rogers issued the following statement on Wednesday afternoon:
“Congratulations to Congresswoman Slotkin on her victory, I wish her the best as she serves the people of Michigan in the Senate.
I am humbled and honored for the millions of Michiganders who embraced our campaign, shared their thoughts, their concerns, their ideas, and put their faith and trust in me to serve our great state as their U.S. Senator. I’m also proud to have run on the ticket with our President-elect, Donald J. Trump, and I have no doubt that he is going to help move Michigan and America forward.
Michigan will always be home, and serving our state has been the honor of my life. While it won’t be in the U.S. Senate right now, I will continue to serve Michigan now and into the future. Finally, I want to thank my partner in life and in this campaign, my wife Kristi, who has dedicated her life to service and was instrumental in helping us bring light to the issues that so many families are facing. She has been my rock and sacrificed to help bring needed change to Michigan.
Thank You, Michigan.”
Slotkin held a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. Watch her remarks below:
THANK YOU, MICHIGAN! I am so honored to be the next Senator from the great state of Michigan and to follow in the footsteps of the great @Stabenow.
— Elissa Slotkin (@ElissaSlotkin) November 6, 2024
This would not have happened without the hard work and support of so many: my family, our volunteers, donors, and of course —… pic.twitter.com/d8Mj8C9qRq
Wednesday at 1:50 p.m
Scripps News White House Correspondent Serena Marshall is reporting the Vice President Kamala Harris has called President-elect Donald Trump to congratulate him on winning the race.
Marshall posted the following on X:
A senior @KamalaHarris Harris aide tells @scrippsnews that @VP called President-elect @realDonaldTrump to congratulate him on winning the 2024 presidential election. She discussed the importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans. https://t.co/f3Lv25lJYv
— Serena Marshall (@serena_reports) November 6, 2024
Wednesday at 1:05 p.m.
Donald Trump is projected to win the state of Michigan in the 2024 presidential race, ABC News reports.
This comes less than seven hours after ABC News reported that Trump was projected to win the presidential election and return to the White House for a second term. With the addition of Michigan's 15 electoral votes, he'll now win the election by a wider margin.
Kamala Harris is set to give her an address at 4 p.m. ET at Howard University. You'll be able to watch her speech live on Channel 7, as well as on our website and on our Facebook page.
Wednesday at 12:30 p.m.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson provided an update to reporters one day after the Presidential election.
"Over 5.5 million Michiganders exercise their most sacred right," Benson said. "The right to select our leaders by voting in free and fair elections."
Benson also expressed her gratitude to the poll workers and everyone who helped in the election process, working hard to "ensure that our election ran smoothly, peacefully, and without any significant and widespread disruptions."
For reference, 5.6 million Michiganders voted in the 2020 presidential election, and 3.3 million of those votes were by mail.
"It'll be a few days before we know the final number, but we're at least above 5.5 million, which is where we were in 2020. So the way we're looking at it, as I mentioned, is we've really now had three back-to-back. This is our third straight election cycle where voters turned out in record numbers. And that's what we're seeing as a victory," said Benson.
Wednesday at 11:58 a.m.
According to guidance from the White House, Vice President Harris will deliver remarks from Howard University today at 4 p.m. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will also be in attendance.
In addition, Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin has announced she will deliver remarks on Michigan's Senate race today at 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday at 10:54 a.m.:
Austin Cook, the Communications Director for Elissa Slotkin's campaign, has released the following statement.
“With more results being counted in Wayne County, Elissa has taken a lead of almost 20,000 votes, and our margin will continue to grow as the remaining ballots are processed. When all the votes are counted, we’re confident that Elissa Slotkin will have been elected as Michigan’s next U.S. Senator.”
Wednesday at 10:11 a.m.
Carl Marlinga issued a concession statement on Wednesday morning after Republican John James was projected to win the 10th Congressional District seat.
"While this is not the outcome we had hoped for, I am incredibly grateful for the support and dedication of the people who stood by me throughout this campaign. This race was about more than just a seat in Congress—it was about standing up for our shared values. We ran to protect Social Security and Medicare, defend reproductive rights, and ensure that every voice in this district was heard. Though we didn’t win, the fight for these issues continues. I will always remain committed to advocating for the working families of Michigan’s 10th District. We may not have won the race, but our vision for a fairer, stronger future for all Michiganders remains as strong as ever."
Wednesday at 8:32 a.m.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is expected to provide an update to the election this morning.
The start time for her update is now 11:30 a.m.
We'll stream her remarks in this blog later this morning.
Wednesday at 8:05 a.m.
Donald Trump is projected to win Dearborn with 42.48% of the vote to Harris's 36.26%. Jill Stein garnered 18.37% of the vote. Check out the unofficial results below:
UNOFFICIAL Results_Nov 5 2024 Presidential Election - ALL - ELECTION DAY_City of Dearborn by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
The presidential projection for the state still hasn't been called.
Here's a look at how Michigan is shaping up across counties on Wednesday morning:
Wednesday at 6:50 a.m.
Absentee ballots are still being tallied in Detroit early this morning.
Our Brittany Toolis has been at Huntington Place through the night, where votes are still being counted.
They are trickling down to the last several hundred ballots here in downtown Detroit. At 5 a.m., we were told poll workers were down to their last 750 ballots.
Once ballots are tabulated, they are posted around several pillars throughout the building.
To expedite the count, the Chief Operations Officer for the Department of Elections, Daniel Baxter, decided to bring the last ballots in batches, as opposed to ballots being brought in one lump sum in previous elections. This helped election workers tabulate votes much quicker than in previous years.
"As we finish verifying the ones that are at the department, we'll bring them in so people can start processing and tabulating as well," Baxter told reporters. "We have to verify signatures, we have to authenticate each ballot that comes in, that's what they're doing right now with the other 46 counting boards."
We will be in the room as the count wraps up and let you know when it's officially over.
Wednesday at 5:35 a.m.
Donald Trump is expected to win the Presidential Election and become the 47th President of the United States, ABC News projects.
He'll return to the White House after serving as President from 2016-2020, as the 45th President of the United States.
WATCH OUR COVERAGE MOMENTS AFTER ABC NEWS DECLARED VICTORY FOR TRUMP
ABC News is projecting that Trump will take Wisconsin, giving him 276 total electoral votes.
ABC News has yet to call the Presidential election results for the state of Michigan, but as of 5:45 a.m., Trump is projected to take Michigan. Also early this morning, Vice President Kamala Harris has yet to give a concession speech.
The latest updates can be found on both our Election Blog and on our election results tab.
Wednesday at 5:30 a.m.
It’s been a hotly contested race between Republican nominee, Mike, Rogers and Democrat Elissa Slotkin in the race for the open US Senate seat vacated by the outgoing and retiring Debbie Stabenow.
This race still too close to be called. However, supporters of both Mike, Rogers and Elissa Slotkin are confident their candidate will win and get the job done.
Our Ryan Marshal is inside the Rogers campaign event headquarters at Surburban Collection Showplace. Of course, we will update this blog with more info as the results come in.
Wednesday at 5:15 a.m.
Democrats Kyra Harris Bolden and Kimberly Thomas have been elected to the Michigan Supreme Court, according to Decision Desk HQ projections. They beat out Republicans Andrew Fink and Patrick O'Grady.
The wins give Democrats a 5-2 majority on the Michigan Supreme Court on the seven-person court.
Also, counting is still going on at Huntington Place in Detroit where officials said around 4 a.m. there were just 2,000 ballots left to count. Security is saying the building will be empty by 7 a.m.
We got the update that counters whittled it down to the last 65 counting boards – around 4,500 absentee ballots – just before 2 a.m.
To expedite the count, Daniel Baxter, the Detroit elections director, decided to bring the last ballots in batches.
As we finish verifying the ones that are at the department, we’ll bring them in so people can start processing and tabulating those as well," Baxter said. "We have to verify signatures. We have to authenticate each ballot that comes in. That’s what they’re doing right now with the other 46 counting boards
Wednesday at 4:15 a.m.
Decision Desk HQ projects that Republican Tom Barrett will beat Curtis Hertel in the race for Michigan's 7th Congressional District. Barrett will flip the seat currently occupied by Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin who is running for U.S. Senate.
Democratic Rep. Hillary Scholten is also projected to win reelection in Michigan's 3rd Congressional District, according to DDHQ.
They also project that Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet will win the race for Michigan's 8th Congressional District, replacing retiring Rep. Dan Kildee.
Watch the latest update from 7 News Detroit in the video below
Wednesday at 3 a.m.
Republican Rep. John James has won reelection in Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, beating former Judge and Prosecutor Carl Marlinga in a rematch of the 2022 election. That's according to an ABC News projection.
The 10th Congressional District includes much of Macomb County, as well as Rochester and Rochester Hills and parts of Troy in Oakland County.
In 2022, James beat Marlinga by just 1,600 votes. However, results show that James will likely win by a larger margin, an outcome seen for Republicans across the country, as former President Donald Trump has taken several swing states and is likely to win the presidential election.
Wednesday at 2:30 a.m.
Former President Donald Trump spoke to supporters just before 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday in Florida. He spoke alongside his family about the campaign, presidential race and local races. His running mate JD Vance also took the stage. You can watch him speak in the video player below:
Wednesday at 2:24 a.m.
Daniel Baxter, the Detroit elections director, gave an update just after 2 a.m. saying they are down to just 4,500 ballots left to count and they are going to start bringing them in batches to expedite the counting process.
That announcement came over the loudspeaker as workers were waiting for a new batch of ballots.
Baxter said after nine days of counting nearly 100,000 absentee ballots, they have 65 election boards left to count. Right now, 19 of the election boards are in Huntington Place.
In previous elections, signatures for all 65 would need to be verified and brought over in one lump sum. That would take until about 5 a.m., according to Baxter, so to get things done quicker, they're verifying and bringing those over in batches.
Wednesday 2:08 a.m.
Former President Donald Trump is projected to win battleground state Pennsylvania, ABC News projects.
Wednesday 1 a.m.
Kamala Harris held a watch party at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington, on Election Day. She did not speak. However, the co-chair of her campaign, Cedric Richmond, spoke and told the crowd votes are still being counted and there are still states to be called, the Associated Press reported.
“We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted. That every voice has spoken,” the AP reported Richmond saying. “So you won’t hear from the vice president tonight, but you will hear from her tomorrow. She will be back here tomorrow.”
Donald Trump is expected to speak early Wednesday morning.
Wednesday 12:30 a.m.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, took the stage in Detroit just after midnight as election results are still coming in.
You can watch her speech in the video below
Wednesday 12:12 a.m.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced that she will provide another election update on Wednesday morning.
She's scheduled to speak at 10:30 a.m.
Tuesday 11:50 p.m.
At the Democratic watch party in Detroit, Justice Kyra Harris Bolden and Kimberly Anne Thomas addressed the crowd at MotorCity Casino’s Sound Board shortly before midnight.
Watch their speeches below:
Tuesday 11 p.m.
Polls are officially closed and ballots are being counted on a night that will make history. Projected winners were called in some key races while others are still too close to call.
"As of right now, we know we are on track for record-breaking turnout in this election," said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
Watch our election night team coverage with analysis below:
Tuesday 10:05 p.m.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson updated the public on the 2024 General Election on Tuesday night, about 45 minutes after polls closed.
"We are on track for a record-breaking vote in this election," Benson said during the press conference.
She also said that she expects Michigan to be the first of the battleground states to have unofficial results.
Benson also said that nearly 22,000 people registered and voted on Election Day across the state.
Tuesday 10 p.m.
Huntington Place in Detroit
They told us to expect our first batch of Detroit votes starting at 8:30 p.m., maybe 9 p.m. but here we are at 10 p.m. and we’re still waiting.
Officials aren’t saying what’s causing the delay, and given that votes have been tabulated over the last nine days, we were led to believe that early results would come quickly. They haven’t, but here’s what we do know so far.
City officials are expecting a turnout in the range of 50 or 51% in the city of Detroit, which would equal about 268,000 votes.
It would be about on par with what we saw here in 2020 and a little bit better than what we saw in 2016, but not what Democrats were hoping for.
Those numbers come from over 92,000 absentee ballots, 43,000 early ballots, and an anticipated 125,000 ballots cast today. But that last number is an estimate.
And while we still wait on numbers, we can say this much for sure: the vote count has gone smoothly all night.
Tuesday 9:50 p.m.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is currently giving an election update.
Tuesday 9:25 p.m.
Former congressman Mike Rogers, who is running for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, addressed a crowd at his election night watch party. The Republican candidate said he and his campaign believe it will be a long night before results are called in the Senate race. He added that it's been a good, competitive race.
You can watch Rogers speak in the video player below:
Tuesday 9 p.m.
DDHQ is projecting the following winners:
- Haley Stevens (D) to win the Michigan 11th Congressional District race
- Debbie Dingell (D) to win the Michigan 6th Congressional District race
- Shri Thanedar (D) to win Michigan 13th Congressional District race
- Tim Walberg (R) to win Michigan 5th Congressional District race
- John Moolenaar (R) to win Michigan 2nd Congressional District race
- Rashida Tlaib (D) to win Michigan 12th Congressional District race
- Lisa McClain (R) to win Michigan 9th Congressional District race
Tuesday: 8:17 p.m.
In a matter of minutes, we’re expecting to get our first real numbers on the vote in Detroit.
Those numbers will be the early votes cast over the last nine days, along with the absentee ballots.
Here’s how the voting totals are looking right now:
In the city of Detroit, we’ve seen just over 92,000 absentee ballots cast along with another 43,000 early votes cast in-person.
As of 5 p.m., another 83,000 voters cast their ballots today, but the city expects that number will grow to about 125,000. If it does, that will bring turnout in Detroit to about 268,000 votes, or 51%.
Moments ago, we heard from Daniel Baxter, the chief operating officer for the Detroit Elections Department. He was asked: how is tonight different than election night 4 years ago?
"There's no chaos going on right now, no pandemonium. Nobody is banging on windows, nobody is shouting 'stop the count,' do you hear that? I think I hear people singing kumbaya. It's very peaceful here today," he said.
Tuesday: 8 p.m.
It is 8 p.m. Polls are now closed across most of Michigan. For live election results throughout the night, click here.
Tuesday evening
This afternoon, we’ve made our way around Macomb and now Oakland County. Voters everywhere are anxious about what will come of tonight's election, but hopeful that whoever wins will work toward a better America.
At Dodge Park Coney in Sterling Heights, the future of our nation is heavy on everyone’s mind.
"I’d like to be all positive that it’s going to go the way that I would like to, but I have to be realistic that if it doesn’t, I need to take a look at life and the way that I live," said Sharon Laubach.
Laubach is hoping to see another Trump presidency soon.
We asked: What’s important to you?
"It’s probably the economy and the immigration. I personally have a problem with what’s been going on and I can see how it affects cities and communities and that concerns me," said Laubach.
Voters like Roy Boismier are hoping to see VP Kamala Harris leading the nation come January.
"I honestly believe in the idiom that behind every great man is a great woman. So to have a woman in front instead, yes!" said Roy Boismier.
Boismier says he believes Harris is better suited to tackle issues like inflation and to codify women’s reproductive rights.
"I think she’s going to do her best. The important thing is to go ahead and get a Senate and House that actually works together instead of fighting each other cause that’s the only way we’re going to see anything and Biden did that," he said.
As polls are set to close soon and the count begins, voters remain hopeful their candidate will pull through.
We are now at Mia’s Tasty Grill in Madison Heights where a watch party is underway. And although we’re all excited to see those results start coming in, the SOS office predicts we won’t have final unofficial numbers until mid-day tomorrow.
Tuesday: 6:20 p.m.
Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown joined 7 News Detroit at 6 p.m. to talk about what they're seeing with just two hours until polls close in metro Detroit.
According to Brown, they have had a steady stream of voters at precincts today and there have been no issues.
Brown told 7 News Detroit Anchor Mike Duffy that they expect to have results pushed out shortly after 8 p.m. and they'll have a "good bulk" of their results by midnight.
That's due to the amount of people who early-voted in-person and the pre-processing of absentee ballots.
Watch her interview with Mike Duffy in the video below
Tuesday: 6:19 p.m.
As we wait for the election results to roll in, our reporters are at the watch parties for some of the big local races.
Reporter Ruta Ulcinaite is at the GOP watch party in Novi, and reporter Brett Kast is at the Motor City Soundboard in Detroit for the Democratic watch party. Many will be following the Michigan U.S. Senate race between Elissa Slotkin and Mike Rogers.
Reporter Tiarra Braddock is reporting outside of the Dearborn Banquet Hall. In about 30 minutes, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein will be here watching the results of the election.
Related Video: 7 News Reporters ready to cover the big local races of the night
Some of the people who will be in attendance will be from the Abandon Harris campaign. The campaign has called for Muslim and Arab voters to not vote for either VP Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump. They encouraged people to vote for Jill Stein. The main reason the group was formed was because many Arab and Muslim voters felt the current administration was not doing enough to end the war in Gaza.
Reporter Darren Cunningham will be following the Michigan 10th Congressional District race between Carl Marlinga and John James.
Tuesday: 6:10 p.m.
Macomb County is important to win Michigan's 15 electoral votes and both Democrats and Republicans are making one final push as voter head to the polls.
We spoke with two women volunteering — one is working with the Macomb County Republican Party and the other is working at the Harris campaign office in Mount Clemens.
"From the grocery store to paying your electric bill, there is no way things are better today than they were when Trump was president. That's what I consider important," said Nelda Carpenter, who's working with the Macomb County GOP.
Nancy Duemling, who is working with the Harris campaign, said: "The other side is being led by someone who says vote for me and you will never have to vote again. That's not the United States of America that I know and that I've supported my entire life."
Sterling Heights High School is one of the 40 polling locations where you will find Macomb County residents busy casting their ballots. One of them is Zaid Ramzi. The 18-year-old came with his friends and said they all voted for the first time.
"Whoever gets elected is the person we are going to live with and deal with the next few years of our lives. And I feel it's an important thing to do because that's the only way to get our voices heard," Zaid said. "The country that we live in today, I feel like we just really vote for anyone but Republican or Democratic."
Zaid's friend Celina Kalaydjian added: "I think the Green Party is a great option, and I hate that you can't vote for it; it feels like your vote is a waste."
Tuesday: 5:50 p.m.
Detroit Police Chief James White and about a half dozen other Detroit police officers roamed the floor at Huntington Place where workers were counting absentee ballots, just after 5 p.m.
About a dozen more police officers are roaming the building and there are multiple squad cars outside of Huntington Place.
It’s all to make sure the vote count is not disrupted in Detroit like it was back in 2020.
Officials have made a number of security upgrades this year in response to the unrest we saw four years ago. They include adding bullet-proof glass to the front of the building, more surveillance cameras and additional officers and security guards.
Workers have been counting ballots for the last eight days and it’s been quiet and peaceful.
As of 3 p.m., 209,000 ballots have been cast in Detroit, City officials have said they expect to eclipse 50% voter turnout. To do that, they’ll need another 50,000 votes to come in.
Tuesday: 5:40 p.m.
From DJs at the polls to werewolf stickers — there's been a hard push to entice people to vote.
This werewolf sticker created by a student at Brownell Middle School is a great example of the many unique ideas used this election to boost voter engagement— and for some, it worked.
On Tuesday, Ernest Scott, DJ Slick Rick, was where voters cast their ballots at the Sherwood branch library in Detroit.
"I have gotten a lot of compliments since I been out here since 7 o'clock this morning," he said.
He's part of the nonpartisan initiative "DJ at the Polls" to boost voter turnout.
"A lot of times on Election Day you don't get the foot traffic that you need and polls are not as hype as they should be, but with DJ at the polls, it really makes a difference and brings more people out to vote," said Scott.
Voter Taylor Hawkins says, "It gave the welcoming vibe, almost sort of made me feel like I was at home."
All across the state people are noticing a more creative emphasis on getting out to vote.
"This was the first time there was a DJ at the polls, this was the first time we've had something other than the 'I voted' ... stickers," said Pamela Hartman.
I voted stickers created by Michigan students are getting so much attention — it's become a disappointment for some who had the stickers top of mind and couldn't get their hands on one.
"I wanted the wolf one ... it was really funny looking to me," said Maia Hartman.
Even sports teams are getting involved. On top of hosting Get Out The Vote events, the Detroit Pistons gave out game vouchers , t-shirts and food to people at polling locations throughout the day.
"Go Pistons, they just beat the Lakers last night," said Raymond Brown, a Detroit voter.
"Whether you're on the court or in an office as an executive, we can set an example for young adults to come out and get in the game—recognize the role they can play," said Melanie Harris, Pistons, President of Business Operations.
Tuesday: 5:30 p.m.
At the University of Michigan Museum of Art in Ann Arbor, first-time voters were eager to cast their ballots.
Things are going much more smoothly today than back in 2022.
The museum says that since 2022, they have been preparing for today and they are very proud of how smoothly the lines are moving.
It's about a 12, 15 minute wait at this moment. Back in 2022, the lines were about four hours long. Some students who were in line before 8 p.m. had to wait outside until 2 a.m. to vote.
Thankfully, there are no long lines like that today to make their voices heard. We did catch up with some first-time voters right after they cast their ballots. We asked them what drove them here today.
"For me, I'd say mostly like reproductive rights issues, like women's rights in general," said Claire Mazure, a first-time voter.
We asked another voter what it felt like to vote for the first time in this election.
"Honestly, it felt empowering. I'm very excited and happy that I was able to do it. Empowering," said Ava Scigliano.
Tuesday: 5 p.m.
Daniel Baxter, the director of elections for the City of Detroit, said that the city is on track for around 51% turnout, the same as the turnout in 2020.
Tuesday: 4:50 p.m.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson spoke to 7 News Detroit Anchor Carolyn Clifford about where things stand for the election.
Benson said that they're seeing great turnout throughout the State of Michigan, calling it "extraordinary."
She said she's visited different polling precincts throughout metro Detroit, and has seen dance parties break out, and people respecting the process and showing up.
We asked Benson when we could see results from the state regarding the presidential election and other elections. She said it comes down to how close the race is, but said we're in a good position because of the new rules in place that allows municipalities to process and tabulate the more than 3 million absentee ballots that have been cast.
Watch her interview in the video player below.
Tuesday: 4:45 p.m.
What a difference four years makes: back in 2020, the room at the TCF Center, now known as Huntington Place, was full of election staff who didn’t start counting until Election Day. This year, a much smaller staff is necessary, because they’ve been counting for the last eight days, and more than 50% of the vote in the city has already been tabulated.
Elections officials say they’ve already counted about 130,000 votes so far: that’s 90,000 that were cast with absentee ballots, and more than 40,000 early votes cast in person. As of 1 p.m., another 50,000 Detroiters have cast ballots today, which officials say is about on track for what they’d expect.
Last week, city clerk Janice Winfrey predicted a total turnout in the city between 51% and 55%. That would be better than we saw back in 2020 when it was just over 50%.
We can tell you that security inside Huntington Place is significantly increased from four years ago: law enforcement is stationed inside and outside of the building, they’ve added bulletproof glass to the front of the building, and just about a half hour ago, we saw Detroit Police Chief James White roaming the floor inside Hall A of Huntington Place.
DPD is making a clear show of force on this Election Day.
We don’t expect we’ll have any hard data to report tonight until between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. But officials are optimistic that they’ll have all the votes counted in Detroit by midnight.
Tuesday: 4:36 p.m.
Turnout is off the charts. All across Michigan.
— Jocelyn Benson (@JocelynBenson) November 5, 2024
That’s it that’s the tweet.
Tuesday: 3:43 p.m.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson will hold a news conference at 9:30 p.m. to address the media about election night in Michigan.
WXYZ-TV and WXYZ.com will provide full coverage of Benson's remarks.
Tuesday: 2:28 p.m.
The new Michigan "I Voted" stickers have been blowing up on social media as people cast their early in-person votes and their votes on Election Day. Now, they're being sold on resale sites.
One of the most popular ones is the sticker that shows a werewolf ripping off its shirt with an American Flag in the background. It's been featured on John Oliver and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has worn a t-shirt with the design.
VIDEO BELOW: See the winners of Michigan's first-ever 'I Voted' sticker design contest
A quick search of eBay found that people are selling the stickers – specifically the werewolf sticker. Recently-sold stickers have gone for $18 and up to $45.
Benson said during a press conference on Tuesday that if you didn't get your sticker, you can pick one up at a Michigan Secretary of State branch across Michigan. Branches are closed on Election Day, so you'll have to wait until Wednesday to check. Find your branch here
Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.
The City of Northville said that Precinct 1 has been relocated from the community center to Hillsdale Middle School, located at 775 N. Center Rd.
Consumers Energy was investigating a potential gas leak at the community center, which forced the precinct to move.
Tuesday noon
Macomb County is home to a lot of auto workers and a key county we will be watching as election results begin to come in tonight. The UAW has formally endorsed Kamala Harris, but some workers we've spoken to ahead of the election are supporting Donald Trump.
Our Faraz Javed spoke to the voters who play a crucial role in this year's election.
Faraz was at Precinct 42 at Sterling Heights High School and spoke to Canaan Calhoun, an 18-year-old voting for the first time. He asked him what his experience has been, and what some of his research was to determine which candidate he would be voting for.
"I mainly watch the news, I watch the news," the first-time voter said. "I use the news to find and explore the different candidates, which one would be best for my future."
Canaan was at the polls with his mom and his two brothers. Faraz asked Canaan what the family conversations were like before heading to the polling place when it came to selecting the candidate.
"The main thing was come together," Canaan said. "We would just sit around the TV, watch some news, watch and listen to what they would say and mainly follow along. We watched the debate and we had a whole conversation on that, so that's the main thing we did."
Macomb County has traditionally voted Republican. In 2016, Trump won Macomb County by 48,000 votes, then again in 2020 by 40,000 votes. But in the end, Joe Biden did win Michigan in the last Presidential election.
This is an extremely important county to win: Faraz spoke with Carol, a chair for District 42, to walk us through what voters can expect when they walk in today.
"You come in and the first desk you are going to stop in is the application to vote," said Carol Calhoun. "You'll fill that paperwork out, then you will go to the next station, which is the poll book, that is where you will present your driver's license. We will scan you into the system, make sure that you are a registered voter, and from there we'll give you a ballot, you'll go into the various booth to vote, and then you'll get in line to the tabulator and cast your ballot."
We spoke with Carol about some of the challenges workers were facing when voters were coming in.
"Probably the main thing that we've encountered is people coming to the wrong precinct," Carol said. "They had lived in this area before and were Sterling Heights residents and had moved, so we needed to call the clerk's office, confirm that they were not registered voters here in Sterling Heights, and we had to send them to their respective cities to register and to vote."
We also asked Carol how the turnout has been a few hours in.
"It's been steady, we had 40 people in line when we opened," Carol said. "and it's been a steady flow throughout the day, I think we're at 250, maybe a little more than that, we do a count every hour."
Tuesday 10:50 a.m.
It was a steady stream of voters at Southfield City Hall on Tuesday morning. Many were pleasantly surprised by the wait time.
“Waited less than five minutes. We went in and went right to our voting precinct," said Scott Clay.
Related Video: Voters cast their ballots in Southfield
Andrew Hartman says voting at the polling place was a breeze.
"Maybe 30 seconds. I parked my car. And, 10 minutes later, I’m walking out," he said.
“I heard some people waited like two hours on the early voting on Sunday. I think everyone was kind of scrambling. But today, I came in like five minutes ago. It literally took me five minutes," said Teresa Ross, a Southfield resident.
Dominick Thirkield and his wife, Nicole, said the well-organized polling center made it easy for their entire family.
“I mean, they were very nice and very pleasant, you know, coordinated, letting us know where to go. And, we were out of there in less than 20 minutes," said Dominick.
Nicole said, “I wanted to make sure that my kids were able to witness history and make sure that I document it so when they did get older, they were able to say I was there.”
Tuesday: 10:45 a.m.
There has been a steady flow of voters coming into Pasteur Elementary on Detroit’s west side this morning.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson visited a short time ago — talking about the turnout so far this Election Day.
Related Video: Watch Benson's update from Tuesday morning
Benson says more than 3.3 million people in Michigan voted even before the polls opened this morning.
Benson says 82% of all absentee ballots were returned before Election Day, and many of those have already been processed.
There are long lines at polling places around metro Detroit — and the Secretary of State says they have a field team of 100 people ready to respond to any allegations of trouble.
"People are engaged and people know the rules, which is that today is the last day to vote in this election. And whether people choose to vote in person here at precincts or returning their ballot at a local drop box, it's going to be a celebratory day, a hopeful day and a day where we can be proud that so many people are participating in our election. Already, 45.8% of registered active voters in our state have voted in this election, and we're on track to break turnout records yet again," said Benson.
Related Video: Michigan voters line up on Election Day to make their voices heard
"I just want to say everyone get out and vote do what you’re supposed to do — make it count," said Daveen Young, a voter.
"It’s a good turnout, I like to see this," said Pamela Dann, another voter.
Benson says Michigan is on track for a record turnout.
We were at a few polling spots in Redford earlier today where some people were complaining they didn’t have enough computers to check everyone in, so just keep in mind, it’s always a busy day so bring your patience.
Tuesday: 10 a.m.
7 News Detroit reporter Brittany Toolis was outside of Central United Methodist Church in Detroit, where inside there are two voter precincts. She's been there since right after polls opened.
Only 15 voters are allowed in at a time, so they have seen a small line of voters. For one person, it's the first time they've cast a vote in about a decade.
"I’m feeling happy and hopeful," said Sierra Spencer. "People seem ready."
Sierra is one of millions casting her ballot as the 2024 Presidential Election is now in voter's hands.
"We got up at like 6 this morning ... getting ready to vote today," said Josie Budnick and James Bennett.
All three Metro Detroit voters cast their ballots at the church on Woodward Avenue and East Adams, off of Grand Circus Park. It houses two precincts, and a small but steady line filing out the front door all morning.
"I was expecting to see a line I know most of my peers voted early," Sierra said. "I was a little worried about the wait but it actually wasn’t bad."
"He’s late for work but we’re making it happen," said Josie. "My boss is OK with it. We’re doing out duty. We’re both excited."
All three voters say the process went smoothly for them. Now they're waiting for the numbers to start rolling in.
"I’m happy that we’re finally going to have an answer moving forward as a country," Sierra said. "Just go out and vote if you haven’t already."
Polls are open until 8 p.m.
Tuesday: 7 a.m.
Polls have opened across most of Michigan as voters have until 8 p.m. to cast their ballots.
More than 1.2 million Michiganders cast their ballot through early voting for the 2024 general election, according to the state's voter dashboard.
On Sunday, 189,442 people cast their ballot, according to the dashboard. That's the highest daily total in the state. The previous high was the day before with 145,955 people voting.
In all, 1,214,444 people cast an early in-person vote in Michigan for the 2024 general election.
