Below is a running timeline of Election Day happenings across Southwest Florida & beyond.
2:40 a.m.
Donald J. Trump completes unprecedented run to become the 45th president of the United States, the Associated Press projects.
2:07 a.m.
Clinton campaign chair John Podesta tells supporters in New York City to go home and that “she has done an amazing job, and she is not done yet.”
Clinton, who did not concede the race, is not expected to speak tonight.
2 a.m.
Clinton wins Maine, CBS News projects.
1:42 a.m.
Trump takes Alaska, CNN projects.
1:39 a.m.
Trump takes Pennsylvania, the Associated Press projects.
1:14 a.m.
A recount is ahead in the Clewiston City Commission race, where the top three from a field of five candidates will get seats on the board. The margin between “Mali” Soto Gardner and Kevin McCarthy, the third- and fourth-place finishers in the initial vote, is less than half a percent, which triggers an automatic recount.
12:55 a.m.
“America’s going to be OK,” Sen. Marco Rubio said after winning re-election against Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy.
12:33 a.m.
Nevada has gone for Clinton, CBS News projects.
12:12 a.m.
A few hundred votes made the difference as 16-year Lee County school board veteran Jeanne Dozier lost to Melisa Giovannelli.
11:48 p.m.
Longtime state legislator Burt Saunders and William McDaniel, the chairman of the Collier County housing authority’s board of commissioners, have won open seats on the county commission. Both spoke of a desire to grow business.
11:41 p.m.
Clinton has taken Washington state, CNN projects.
11:37 p.m.
Iowa is in the Trump win column, according to CBS News projections.
11:35 p.m.
Trump has taken Georgia, The Associated Press projects.
11:30 p.m.
Medical marijuana advocates celebrated the passage of Amendment 2 by a wide margin Tuesday. It needed 60 percent to pass but wound up garnering more than 70 percent of the vote.
WE did it. YOU did it!!
Compassion is HERE!!!!!!!!!!!#MedicalMarijuana Mission Accomplished ✅
BELIEVE!!!!!!!!!! #YesOn2
— John Morgan (@JohnMorganESQ) November 9, 2016
7:00 p.m.
What is it like being a visually impaired voter? Think no privacy as a friend or poll worker helps you fill out your ballot. That changed for Lee County’s visually impaired community when some blind voters cast their ballots independently for the first time in their lives thanks to the introduction of the ExpressVote system. Hear about their experience:
6:09 p.m.
Voters in Southwest Florida say this election is about many issues, not just one.
5:45 p.m.
With less than two hours left at the polls, chances are you’ve cast your ballot. But don’t trash your sticker just yet. Here are the places you can get free stuff for just for donning your “I voted sticker.”
- Nice Guys Beer & Pizza: Free beer
- World of Beer: $1 beer
- Tijuana Flats: Free side
- Duffy’s Sports Grill: Free red velvet donuts
- Bob Evans is also offering 30% off an entire order for voters with this coupon.
5:43 p.m.
There have been no lines and no major problems for voters at the Lee County Elections Center. More than 64,000 ballots have been cast in the county today.
5:31 p.m.
A few Trump supporters were holding signs outside the Lee County Elections Office in south Fort Myers.
5:21 p.m.
Patrick Murphy’s team feels optimistic as he hopes to unseat Sen. Marco Rubio.
4:40 p.m.
Authorities say a woman campaigning for Donald Trump outside a South Florida polling place pepper-sprayed a Hillary Clinton voter during a confrontation.
Jupiter police Sgt. Bradley Vince says officers responded to the center Tuesday morning following multiple 911 calls. Police say 52-year-old Tom Garrecht and 58-year-old Donna Tatlici had exchanged words as Garrecht went in to vote, and the argument continued as he left.
Statements from Garrecht, Tatlici and witnesses conflicted. Tatlici says she sprayed Garrecht because she was afraid of him. At some point, the woman was knocked to the ground, but it wasn’t clear if Garrecht was purposefully attacking her or flailing around after being pepper-sprayed.
The state attorney’s office will decide whether file assault charges against Garrecht. No arrests were made Tuesday. Both people were treated at the scene.
— via The Associated Press
4:32 p.m.
A Nevada court judge denied a request Tuesday from Donald Trump campaign lawyers to issue an order directing a county registrar of voters to preserve and separate ballots from voting machines in four early voting sites in Clark County, Nevada.
Judge Gloria Sturman, of the District Court for Clark County Nevada, ruled from the bench, saying County Registrar of Voters Joe P. Gloria was already obligated by state law to maintain the records that the Trump campaign is seeking. The judge at times expressed frustration with Brian Hardy, a lawyer for the Trump campaign.
“I am not ordering him (Gloria) to preserve anything,” she said, adding, “This is Election Day. He has other things to be doing.”
— via CNN
3:30 p.m.
Voting in this election has proven complex for many Haitian-Americans who are resentful toward Hillary Clinton over her questionably charitable efforts in Haiti, but also fearful of Donald Trump’s tough rhetoric on immigration.
In the weeks before Election Day, they shared their thoughts:
3:15 p.m.
There have been 48,198 ballots cast in Lee County today, adding to the approximately 250,000 ballots cast in early voting, the county elections office said.
3:09 p.m.
The polling location has changed for Lee County precinct 116, from Trinity Lutheran Church to Cape Coral Kiwanis Club, 360 Santa Barbara Blvd. A, the Lee County elections office said. The reason for the change is unclear.
3:05 p.m.
It’s the largest voter turnout ever in Collier County, the Supervisor of Elections there said. More than 161,000 votes have been cast, including mail-in and early voting totals. The 80 percent turnout encompasses 11,000 more votes than in 2012.
2:51 p.m.
Donald Trump’s campaign is alleging polling place “anomalies” during early voting in the Las Vegas area last week in what could be the first lawsuit of Election Day.
A lawsuit filed Tuesday in Nevada court asks that records from four early voting spots that allegedly stayed open too late last Friday be impounded and preserved. Long lines kept polls open past the 7 p.m. posted closing time at locations that included a Mexican market and several shopping centers.
Officials say at one site, the last voter cast a ballot after 10 p.m.
Criticism is also coming from state Republican Party chief Michael McDonald.
– via the Associated Press
1:36 p.m.
Two election clerks in Broward County have been fired, according to CNN.
Deputies responded to a polling site while the Broward County Supervisor of Elections addressed the issue between the clerks, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said.
The clerks were released for failure to meet the integrity standards for which they were trained.
1:34 p.m.
The Lee County Supervisor of Elections office has hired armed security at a select group of polling places, reports Olivia Mancino.
A select group of Lee Co. polling places have armed security, employed by the supervisors office. #ElectionDay #Elections2016 pic.twitter.com/WBSTrxdJes
— OliviaWINKNews (@OliviaWINKNews) November 8, 2016
12:54 p.m.
Vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence cast his ballot. His running mate held two rallies that attracted huge crowds in Southwest Florida.
We’ve cast our vote. Have you? Find your polling place at https://t.co/XVvQccrKQo. If you do your part, we will #MAGA. pic.twitter.com/FlLzT679XF
— Mike Pence (@mike_pence) November 8, 2016
12:38 p.m.
All is quiet so far at Hope Lutheran Church in Bonita Springs, reports WINK News reporter Michelle Kingston. 
11:46 a.m.
While voting at Christ Community Church on Colonial Boulevard, WINK News web editor Chloe Herring was stopped by two Department of Justice agents who asked about her voting experience.
“It was fine,” she said. “It ran smoothly. The lines weren’t long.”
More than 500 DOJ agents are monitoring polls across the country.
So far, 37,489 people have cast their ballots in Lee County, according to Lee County Supervisor of Elections Spokesperson Vicki Collins. That number does not include early voting, provisional or mail-in ballots and is expected to increase throughout the day.
11: 45 a.m.
37,489 people have voted in Lee County, reported WINK News Reporter John Trierweiler.
10:43 a.m.
Lee County Supervisor of Elections Sharon Harrington has hired private security to protect voting precincts, WINK News reporter Olivia Mancino reports. With Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott running for re-election, the sheriff’s office said it did not want any perceived voter intimidation.
10:27 a.m.
Look who is showing off her “I voted” sticker! Call For Action reporter Lindsey Sablon is en route to Orlando where she will be covering Amendment 2, which if passed, would allow medical use of marijuana.
#ElectionDay: Headed to Orlando to cover med marijuana. Four years ago I was in CO covering rec marijuana passage pic.twitter.com/hFkXSoQpN3
— Lindsey Sablan (@LindseySablan) November 8, 2016
9:32 a.m.
About 5,800 people have cast their votes at Precinct 47 on Boy Scout Drive so far, including 200 within the past hour, reports WINK News reporter John Trierweiler. More than 25,000 people have already voted across Lee County.
10:09 a.m.
Presidential contender Hillary Clinton cast her ballot, in what could become a historic election.
Happy Election Day! https://t.co/jfd3CXLD1s pic.twitter.com/IfOBRuvQzJ
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 8, 2016
9:10 a.m.
Issues have been reported in five Collier County districts, reports WINK News reporter Nicole Papageorge. The check in machines weren’t working at precincts in Golden Gate Estates, Immokalee and Ave Maria. Poll workers had to manually check in voters, which caused a few delays. More than 10,000 people have already voted across Collier County.
8:35 a.m.
WINK News Political Psychologist Dr. Bart Rossi provides insight on what to expect on Election Day:
7:02 a.m.
Lines have already formed outside Lakes Regional Library, reports WINK News producer Will Stewart.
