WUSF's Sky Lebron breaks down the numbers for Amendment 3 — a measure attempting to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida.

It did not get the 60% of the votes it needed to pass.

Amendment 4 failed to get the 60% of votes it needed to pass. That means the state’s current law that bans most abortions after six weeks will stay in place, which abortion access supporters worry will delay care and endanger the lives of women.

Florida was one of 10 states voting on abortion rights — part of a trend set in motion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion in 2022 and many states limited abortion access.

Read more here.

Sarah Parker, executive director of Voices of Florida and part of the Yes on 4 campaign, spoke to WUSF's Stephanie Colombini on Amendment 4.

"Take this as a stark, stark reminder and warning," Parker said. "You are not doing what you should do as far as the will of the constituents go...we got the majority. And you cannot dictate laws by the minority."

State Attorney Susan “Suzy” Lopez spoke to reporters Tuesday night at her watch party for the Hillsborough State Attorney race at the Haya Hotel in Tampa after her win against Andrew Warren.

Warren refused to do interviews, but released a statement: "I'm proud of the race we ran. The best candidate doesn't always win, especially when the other side cheats—illegally suspending you, then spending millions of dollars lying about you. But today's result doesn't change the facts: I made Hillsborough safer, improved the system, and fought for our freedoms and values. I want only what's best for our community, and I hope Ms. Lopez grows into this role to become an effective and independent state attorney—not beholden to the governor or sheriff, but accountable to the people.”

WUSF's Gabriella Paul reports on some of the election results so far, including U.S. house seat wins.

Will Atkins — regional organizer for the Kamala Harris campaign — speaks to the work of his team during this year's presidential election, saying Florida Democrats should be proud despite nearly every region of Florida shifting right.

Anna Paulina Luna serves in the United States House of Representatives from Florida's 13th congressional district as a member of the Republican Party.

She spoke to supporters Tuesday night at a Pinellas County GOP watch party.

State Attorney Susan “Suzy” Lopez spoke to reporters Tuesday night at her watch party for the Hillsborough State Attorney race at the Haya Hotel in Tampa before election results were announced.

She says she's helped repair broken relationships with law enforcement agencies and given a voice to crime victims and their families.

Bob and Cynthia Leslie from Minnesota are here with friends in support of Trump and Vance. They said today they went shopping in Madeira Beach for Trump gear in anticipation of tonight’s event. It’s their first Republican watch party since they’ve been snowbirding in the state.

Polling places opened across Florida at 7 a.m. Tuesday, with Secretary of State Cord Byrd expressing confidence that the general election would go smoothly.

“Florida is the gold standard for elections administration,” Byrd said Tuesday morning. “When voters go to the polls in Florida, they know their vote is going to be counted. It’s going to be counted accurately, and it’s going to be counted timely. They can trust in the results. I think you are going to see, before you go to bed tonight, the results in Florida.”

With polls open statewide until 7 p.m. local time, the state will start posting results at 8 p.m. Eastern time after polls close in the Panhandle, which is on Central time.

Floridians are voting in numerous races, including for president, a U.S. Senate seat, congressional and legislative seats and a wide variety of local offices. Voters also will decide the fates of six proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution.

Byrd said the state had only a few minor glitches as polls opened, but no voters were affected.

“We have a cybersecurity team in place, so we are prepared for any type of election interference,” he said. “But, so far, early voting and vote-by-mail went very well. We don’t anticipate any issues on Election Day.”

Polling places opened across Florida at 7 a.m. Tuesday, with Secretary of State Cord Byrd expressing confidence that the general election would go smoothly.

“Florida is the gold standard for elections administration,” said Byrd. “When voters go to the polls in Florida, they know their vote is going to be counted. It’s going to be counted accurately, and it’s going to be counted timely. They can trust in the results. I think you are going to see, before you go to bed tonight, the results in Florida.”

With polls open statewide until 7 p.m. local time, the state will start posting results at 8 p.m. Find results on the Florida Election Watch website.

Floridians are heading to the polls Tuesday after a pricey campaign season.

According to Ballotpedia, Florida saw the second most ballot campaign spending in the country, with only California ahead.

Across the country, of the 159 ballot measures, the two most expensive are Amendment 3 and Amendment 4 in Florida.

If passed, Amendment 3 will legalize marijuana for all adults 21 and older, while Amendment 4 would enshrine abortion rights into the Florida constitution.

Research group OpenSecrets reports that of the more than $417 million raised for ballot measures across the country, $125 million has been raised in support or opposition of Florida’s Amendment 3, and $85 million for or against Amendment 4.

> Read more

WUSF reporters are out at the polls today amplifying your voices.

Nancy Guan spoke with Hillsborough County voter Elizabeth Benson about the issues that matter to her.

She said teacher pay and student welfare are top of mind for her.

Susan Giles Wantuck

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WUSF

Rachel Gundy voted in person today at Temple Terrace Presbyterian Church, off Bullard Parkway. She said she likes to vote in person, because mail can get lost.

In her words, "You have to vote, especially as women, it's something we worked hard towards getting that status to be able to do that, so we need to utilize it."

Mark Schiefelbein

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AP

Some Republican-led states say they will block the Justice Department's election monitors from going inside polling places on Election Day, pushing back on federal authorities' decades-long practice of watching for violations of federal voting laws.

Officials in Florida and Texas have said they won't allow federal election monitors into polling sites on Tuesday. And on Monday, Missouri filed a lawsuit seeking a court order to block federal officials from observing inside polling places. Texas followed with a similar lawsuit seeking to permanently bar federal monitoring of elections in the state.

Read more here.

Volunteers from the Democratic Party of Florida showed up to the Temple Terrace Library on Election Day today to help steer people to their correct precincts.

Some voters showed up thinking they could vote there since it served as a Hillsborough County early voting site.

Volunteer Sylvia Adams said she is there "to help everybody vote and to get people to the correct polling place."

The polls are open until 7 p.m. and you can find your polling place here.

WUSF reporters are out at the polls today amplifying your voices.

Nancy Guan spoke with Hillsborough County voter Jessica Rhodes about the issues that matter to her.

She says she's concerned about former President Donald Trump's "divisive rhetoric" and how long it might take to certify election results.

WUSF reporters are out at the polls today amplifying your voices.

Nancy Guan spoke with Hillsborough County voter John Folts about the issues that matter to him.

He says he's struggling to pay for necessities like groceries.

Since 2020, 11 states in the U.S. have implemented stricter voter identification laws. And a majority of Americans support requiring a photo ID to vote, according to a 2022 Gallup poll. And Crowe said there has been an “uptick” in interested volunteers recently.

Florida’s voter ID laws have been in place since 1977. A photo ID has been required in Florida since 1998.

Here’s what you need to know before you head to the polls:

> Read more

Susan Giles Wantuck

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WUSF

Tracy Horrell, who says she regularly votes on Election Day, said the economy brought her to the polls.

“I don’t like open borders, I don’t like seeing people murdered for no reason, I want my kids to be able to afford a house and have a stable job,” she said.

Horrell is a puppy-raiser and the dog she is training is Dempsey, with For Dogs, Inc. (formerly Southeastern Guide Dogs).

She has been doing it for eight years.

Said Horrell: It's “the best unpaid job I have ever had.”

Susan Giles Wantuck

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WUSF

Susan Giles Wantuck

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WUSF

Linda Cox is an interior designer who lives down the street in Original Carrollwood.

Her sister is an OB-GYN, and Cox says it's an honor to vote.

She says she is a feminist, but is mostly concerned about women's rights.

Kris Vanecek, also of of Original Carrollwood, said the presidential election and Amendments 3 and 4 drew her to the polls.

She said she always votes on Election Day.

Susan Giles Wantuck

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WUSF

At Grace Lutheran Church in Tampa, about two dozen cars were already in the parking lot as of around 9 a.m. Some folks came out to vote before heading to work.

Sid Boughton of Old Carrollwood is concerned about open borders, crime and the economy. He believes the economy and everything in the country was better under former President Trump.

Susan Giles Wantuck

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WUSF

Tom Johnson loves to vote on Election Day and said that's when he always votes.

“Never had any problem,” he said.

Johnson said likes to vote no on incumbent judges and says he believes in “getting some new blood in there.”

Susan Giles Wantuck

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WUSF

It feels like the stress over the election is as high as it could get. But here's some advice: Don't Freak out.

Tampa therapist Aniesa Hanson has some advice on this final day of voting. She told "Our Changing State" podcast host Matthew Peddie there are ways to stay calm in this high-stakes election.

We invite you to take part in our "Florida Matters" show tonight, where we'll be taking your calls and discussing your thoughts on the election. Call 813-755-6552 to share your election experience with host Matthew Peddie. Listen on WUSF 89.7 and WUSF.org and watch it live on WUSF’s YouTube channel, its Facebook page and Instagram account.

Americans have reached the finish line of the 2024 election. Your emotions about politics this past year may have been all over the place. Apathy. Optimism. Frustration. Fear.

Last time there was a presidential race, 77% of registered Florida voters participated. It could be similar this year.

That’s because this election includes high-profile constitutional amendments on abortion rights and recreational marijuana. Add to that, U.S. Senate and House races, and a long list of state and local contests.

WUSF will be here to update you on air and online to share the results. And while you may see people declaring victory or defeat on social media, know we will only report the facts as they are being released.

We will be careful not to engage in speculation or predictions. We will provide facts, and what we know at any given moment. And we won’t treat the results like a horse race.

> Read more

Florida's election will test whether the state maintains its new reputation as a Republican stronghold, or whether Democrats make some gains by tapping into the support for abortion and marijuana ballot questions and the new energy Vice President Kamala Harris brings to the race.

Gone are the days when Florida was looked at as the biggest prize among swing states. After former President Barack Obama won Florida twice, former President Donald Trump carried the state by a whisker in 2016 and then by a much larger share in 2020. In 2022, Republicans took all five statewide seats on the ballot by landslide margins.

Still, there is a lot of buzz over constitutional amendments that could protect abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana, with both sides of each issue pumping millions of dollars into advertising. Democrats support the ballot measures and hope they boost turnout to give them at least a chance stopping Trump's third straight Florida victory and keeping U.S. Sen. Rick Scott from winning a second term.

> Read more

Steve Newborn

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WUSF

Early voting is over, and it looks like Republicans have a strong lead in turnout at the polls. Democrats have a slight lead in voting by mail, but whether that will be enough to overtake their rivals is a question that will be finally answered today.

More than 1 million more Republicans voted early than Democrats across the state. Democrats have a lead of about 200,000 vote-by-mail ballots that have been received so far at elections offices. But nearly 700,000 mail-in ballots were not received by Monday.

Overall, more than 3.5 million Republicans already voted, compared to just over 2.6 million Democrats. Another 1.7 million people with no party affiliation also voted early.

That's down by about a million votes compared to the last presidential contest in 2020. But mail-in ballots can still be returned today.

> Read more