ATLANTA — UPDATE: The race between Rev. Raphael Warnock and Sen. Kelly Loeffler was called for the Democrat overnight, with Warnock up more than 50,000 votes.
The race between Sen. David Perdue and Jon Ossoff remains too close to call, with Ossoff leading by a bit less than 20,000 votes. That race remains within the margin that would allow for a recount, and likely at this point won't be called until all results are in.
A number of counties have a handful of votes left to count Wednesday morning.
Original story below
It's decision day in Georgia - again - voters took to the polls one last time to settle the remainder of the 2020 election cycle.
Voters began casting early votes in the runoff for Georgia's two U.S. Senate seats back on Dec. 14, 2020. They got one last chance to cast a ballot in the high-stakes election Tuesday, Jan. 5.
Polls opened at 7 a.m. across the state and closed at 7 p.m.
The outcome of the races will influence which political party will control the Senate - and how much President-elect Joe Biden could be able to accomplish in the first part of his term.
Democrats must win both races in order to take control of the Senate. Republicans only need one candidate to win in order to keep control.
When will we know who won?
Right now, it's hard to tell when we may know the final results of both races, though Gabriel Sterling with the Secretary of State's Office said it could be a "couple of days."
One political scientist, however, predicted that we may have a clearer idea of where things are headed by the end Election night.
"I would expect to have a clear sort of sense of where we're headed," by tonight said Emory professor Andra Gillespie. "But maybe not enough to officially call the race."
"I think there is an outside chance we might have a clearer sense of what's going on, but all the early votes should be counted and reported tonight," she added. It's just a question of how long it takes the absentee votes to come in, and with the slightly lower turnout it might take a little bit less time to count those absentee votes."
Both Gillespe and Sterling agree that the races will surely be tight.
"This race statistically is tied, and because of that, you know, we expect the margins are going to be pretty narrow," Gillespie said. "It's just a question of how narrow."
Gillespe added that the runoffs could possibly mirror the General Election from Nov. 3, 2020 - if the same legal tactics are used.
"If one of the candidates perceives irregularities, I could see them raising types of objections," she said. "So it's just a question of whether or not they want to continue to litigate the results of the election."
See full results below or at this link.
Why is Georgia voting today?
Georgia is voting again Jan. 5 to settle the winners of the general election in what's called a runoff. A runoff election is triggered after no candidate wins 50 percent plus one vote in the regularly-scheduled election. The two candidates with the most votes advance to the runoff to determine the ultimate winner.
That was the case for both U.S. Senate races that were on the ballot on Nov. 3.
Republican Sen. David Perdue failed to win 50% plus one vote over challengers Democrat Jon Ossoff and Libertarian Shane Hazel. Because of that, Perdue and Ossoff advanced to the runoff.
Likewise, Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler failed to win outright against a host of candidates, including Democrat Raphael Warnock, also triggering a runoff.
Historically, Democrats face steep challenges to win runoffs, though this year's expanded mail-in and drop-off voting due to the COVID-19 pandemic - and an energized voting base - may swing the race in the party's favor.
Who is running in the Georgia Senate runoff?
Incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue, whose Senate term was supposed to be up for a vote in the Nov. 3 election, is facing off against Jon Ossoff.
Meanwhile, incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp after Johnny Isakson stepped down from his post, will face Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock. The winner of the race will hold office for what was left of Isakson's term.
Who is ahead in the polls?
Several polls have both races in a dead heat, though recent ones have shown the Democratic candidates with a slight lead. However, the leads are within the margin of error.
How many have voted so far?
Gabriel Sterling, with the Secretary of State's Office, said in an afternoon press conference on Election Day that the state is "standing here with a record turnout for a runoff."
So far, Sterling said a total of 3,093,376 votes have been cast. That includes 2,074,994 early votes and 1,018,382 absentee by mail ballots. Check the status of your mail in ballot here.
