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Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump vote at PS 59 in New York, New York on Nov. 8, 2016. Reuters

UPDATE: 3:22 a.m. EST — Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton called Republican candidate — and new president-elect — Donald Trump early Wednesday to concede the election, Trump revealed in his victory speech. Trump, speaking from a New York City Hilton alongside his family, thanked a roaring crowd for their support and promised to quickly get to work for Americans.

"America will no longer settle for anything less than the best. We must reclaim our country's destiny and dream big and bold and daring," Trump said, according to a Vox transcript. "We have to do that. We're going to dream of things for our country, and beautiful things and successful things once again."

UPDATE: 2:34 a.m. EST — Republican nominee Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States, according to NPR and Associated Press race calls.

Trump is expected to speak soon from his victory party in New York City. See a live stream here.

Democrat Hillary Clinton does not plan to address the nation before bedtime, as campaign chairman John Podesta announced earlier in the night.

UPDATE: 1:45 a.m. EST — Republican Donald Trump has won in Pennsylvania, USA Today and the Associated Press projected early Wednesday morning. The state is worth 20 electoral votes. Trump has all but secured a victory.

UPDATE: 1:22 a.m. EST — The Republican party will stay in control of the United States Senate after Tuesday's general election, the Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump remained in the lead with 238 electoral votes to Democrat Hillary Clinton's 209.

UPDATE: 12:58 a.m. EST — Independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin conceded the race on Wednesday but appeared to vow to run again in 2020. "Tonight there are millions of Americans who, I am sad to say, fear their liberties will be challenged by a [Donald] Trump administration," McMullin said, according to a transcript of his remarks shared by NBC News.

McMullin garnered 22 percent of the vote in Utah, his home state — about the same as Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

UPDATE: 12:38 a.m. EST — Nevada elected the country's first-ever Latina senator Tuesday in Catherine Cortez Masto, the Associated Press reported.

"We need more diversity in Congress and the U.S. Senate. It’s incredible to me that we are now, for the first time, just electing a Latina U.S. Senator," she told Remezcla recently. "For me, it’s important to be a voice at that table as a Latina."

UPDATE: 12:14 a.m. EST — Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is the projected winner in Washington state, NBC News and the Associated Press reported. But after she was expected to lose Florida and Ohio, it's unclear if she still had a path to the White House.

UPDATE: 11:59 p.m. EST — GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is the projected winner in Georgia, NBC News and the Associated Press reported Tuesday. NBC News said Trump could take 228 electoral votes, while Clinton could count on 209. To win the White House, a candidate must have at least 270 electoral votes.

UPDATE: 11:25 p.m. EST — Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was recently charged in connection with racial profiling of immigrants, has lost his re-election campaign in Arizona, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. Paul Penzone, a Democrat, won.

In nearby California, voters came out in support of legalizing recreational marijuana, according to the Los Angeles Times.

UPDATE: 11:09 p.m. EST — Democrat Hillary Clinton won California and its 55 electoral votes Tuesday night while Republican Donald Trump won Idaho, according to the Associated Press. Her total was 168 votes; his was 172.

In other election news, it appears that North Dakota has approved medical marijuana, the Cannabist reported. Massachusetts residents, meanwhile, seem to have rejected an initiative that would have increased the cap on charter schools, the AP reported.

UPDATE: 10:56 p.m. EST — The infamous battleground state of Florida has been called by the Associated Press and Politico for Republican Donald Trump. The Sunshine State's 29 electoral votes only add to the billionaire's lead. He has 168 electoral votes to Democrat Hillary Clinton's 109.

UPDATE: 10:47 p.m. EST — Democrat Hillary Clinton is projected to win Colorado and Virginia, according to Politico and ABC News. But Republican Donald Trump is expected to get Ohio.

UPDATE: 10:22 p.m. EST — Twitter users sent 40 million tweets and counting about the United States election on Tuesday, according to the social media site's @gov account. Thousands of people were taking to Twitter to express their anxiety over the ever-tightening race, which had Republican Donald Trump with 140 electoral votes and Democrat Hillary Clinton with 104.

Others were making jokes:

UPDATE: 9:56 p.m. EST — Turning for a moment to state ballot initiatives, Florida has likely legalized medical marijuana and Colorado has likely voted for legal assisted suicide, according to projections.

"This is a major tipping point: With Florida's decision, a majority of states in the U.S. now have laws allowing patients to find relief with medical marijuana, and these protections and programs are no longer concentrated in certain regions of the country like the West and Northeast," Tom Angell, of the Marijuana Majority, told USA Today.

UPDATE: 9:49 p.m. EST — The Republican party will remain in control of the United States House of Representatives, NBC News and ABC News projected Tuesday. The Senate remained too close to call.

UPDATE: 9:36 p.m. EST — As the race grew even closer on Tuesday, Republican nominee Donald Trump won Louisiana, according to the Associated Press and NBC News. The vote count was Trump, 137, Democrat Hillary Clinton, 104.

UPDATE: 9:25 p.m. EST — Connecticut and its seven electoral votes will go to Democrat Hillary Clinton, according to ABC News and NBC News. The current count is Clinton, 97, GOP nominee Donald Trump, 129. Candidates have to get to 270 to win.

UPDATE: 9:19 p.m. EST — Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has won re-election, according to Fox News and NBC News. McCain lost to now-President Barack Obama in 2008 after he got only 173 electoral votes.

UPDATE: 9:11 p.m. EST — Here's a math-heavy update for you. Republican Donald Trump has 124 electoral votes, and Democrat Hillary Clinton has 97, according to the New York Times. But Clinton still has the edge in FiveThirtyEight's predictions, with a 73 percent chance of winning the presidency.

UPDATE: 9:04 p.m. EST — Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won her opponent's home state of New York on Tuesday, but Republican candidate Donald Trump emerged victorious from Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming and Nebraska, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

UPDATE: 8:58 p.m. EST — Democrat Hillary Clinton tweeted Tuesday to thank her supporters "no matter what happens tonight." Republican Donald Trump's last update on the social media service was a retweet of his daughter, Ivanka Trump, leaving a polling station with her family.

All eyes were on Florida, which was the second trending topic on Twitter.

UPDATE: 8:53 p.m. EST — Democrat Hillary Clinton's electoral vote count ticked up to 48 on Tuesday to Republican Donald Trump's 60 as a slew of congressional races were called on Tuesday. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., were projected to win, according to the Associated Press.

UPDATE: 8:37 p.m. EST — Republican Donald Trump has been declared the winner in Alabama, which has nine electoral votes, according to the Associated Press. Trump has 60 electoral votes to Democrat Hillary Clinton's 44.

UPDATE: 8:34 p.m. EST — Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., won over Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., on Tuesday, the Huffington Post reported. Last month, Kirk had to apologize after he insulted Duckworth's Thai family during a debate. Duckworth is an Iraq War veteran, and when she mentioned her family's military history, Kirk retorted "I forgot your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington."

UPDATE: 8:27 p.m. EST — Biting your nails watching these electoral votes add up? At least you're not the squirrel that got electrocuted Tuesday in Frederick County, Maryland and momentarily shut down power at a polling place, as the Baltimore Sun reported.

UPDATE: 8:20 p.m. EST — With Tennessee going to Republican Donald Trump on Tuesday, the New York Times has the electoral college vote count at 51 him, 44 Democrat Hillary Clinton. The candidates need 270 to win.

UPDATE: 8:15 p.m. EST — Politico and CBS News called Rhode Island, Illinois and Maryland for Democrat Hillary Clinton on Tuesday while giving Mississippi to Republican Donald Trump.

Clinton has a 78 percent chance of winning the presidency, according to FiveThirtyEight.

UPDATE: 8:08 p.m. EST — Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has been re-elected after dropping out of the Republican primary race this past spring, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

UPDATE: 8:04 p.m. EST — Democrat Hillary Clinton has won Delaware, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., while Republican Donald Trump scored Oklahoma and Maryland, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

UPDATE: 8 p.m. EST — CBS News and NBC News called South Carolina for Republican candidate Donald Trump on Tuesday, putting the GOP nominee behind Democrat Hillary Clinton.

UPDATE: 7:55 p.m. EST — Voters in Vigo County, Indiana, which has correctly predicted the president in every general election since 1956, currently have Republican Donald Trump in the lead, according to the Guardian.

Across the country, in Fort Bend County, Texas, authorities arrested a man who tried to vote twice. The suspect "claimed he worked for Trump and was testing the system," the sheriff's office tweeted Tuesday.

UPDATE: 7:42 p.m. EST — Voters appear to have mostly disregarded Republican Donald Trump's recent allegations that the general election is rigged. In an NBC News exit poll published Tuesday, 78 percent of Trump fans and 91 percent of Hillary Clinton supporters said they felt "very" or "somewhat" confident their ballots would be accurately counted.

UPDATE: 7:32 p.m. EST — CNN and Fox News called West Virginia for Republican Donald Trump on Tuesday, giving him five more electoral votes.

Meanwhile, a $7,000 Trump-bust cake arrived at the GOP nominee's election night party.

UPDATE: 7:27 p.m. EST — While you're waiting for more results to roll in, check out some of International Business Times' best election stories from the past few days:

Why Are Women Voting For Donald Trump? Female Supporters Explain Why They Won't Vote For Hillary Clinton

Who Are The Oath Keepers? Meet The Militia Group That Plans To Watch Polling Stations On Election Day

Many Muslims Worried Donald Trump Will Win: Mosques Bolster Security After Wave Of Hate Crimes And Attacks

UPDATE: 7:16 p.m. EST — Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was expected to win re-election Tuesday after his failed bid for the GOP presidential nomination, CBS News projected. Other congressional races already called included Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.

UPDATE: 7:10 p.m. EST — A few polling places in Durham County, North Carolina, will have slightly longer hours after their voting systems malfunctioned earlier Tuesday.

"I want the votes counted as quick as they can in all counties in North Carolina," Gov. Pat McCrory told CNN before the ruling. "I just talked to the elections board supervisor and said that I want every vote to count, and every vote will count."

UPDATE: 7:03 p.m. EST — Republican Donald Trump has won Indiana and Kentucky, while Democrat Hillary Clinton has nabbed Vermont, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

That puts Trump with 19 electoral votes and Clinton with 3. A candidate needs 270 to win the presidency.

UPDATE: 7:01 p.m. EST — Polling locations in Dover, New Hampshire, will stay open an extra hour Tuesday after a snafu in which 250 voters received mailers with incorrect poll times, the Boston Globe reported. Precincts will now close at 8 p.m. EST.

UPDATE: 6:57 p.m. EST — "STAY IN LINE" and #StayInLine were trending on Twitter on Tuesday night as polls began close across the United States. As Mental Floss noted, if polling hours end while you're still in line to vote, you will be allowed to your cast ballot.

UPDATE: 6:51 p.m. EST — Former President George W. Bush did not vote for president, his spokesman confirmed to multiple media outlets on Tuesday. He and his wife, Laura, supported Republican candidates on the rest of the ballot, CNN reported.

UPDATE: 6:34 p.m. EST — There are an estimated 20,000 people already gathered outside of Democrat Hillary Clinton's election night party venue, the Javits Center in New York City, WABC reported.

Her rival, Republican Donald Trump, will spend election night miles away at the New York Hilton Midtown.

UPDATE: 6:28 p.m. EST — Voting in Colorado will end at its regularly scheduled time Tuesday despite an issue that took down the registration system for about a half hour earlier in the afternoon, the Denver Post reported. It went offline between 2:47 and 3:16 p.m. local time, according to a tweet from Secretary of State Wayne Williams.

Meanwhile in North Carolina, two groups requested extended poll hours in Durham County, where computer issues stopped voting for up to 90 minutes in at least one location, the Associated Press reported.

Hillary Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook addressed the issue in a statement, saying that the North Carolina board of elections should "heed this bipartisan call and approve this urgent measure so that every voter can have their voice heard."

In North Carolina, which is worth 15 electoral votes, Republican Donald Trump had a less than 1-point lead over Clinton in the polls on Tuesday.

UPDATE: 6:19 p.m. EST — Here we go. Kicking off election night, enterprising voters across the United States discovered a glitch in Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's website that allowed users to manipulate the text on his "press release" page.

The issue was quickly remedied, but not before the internet screenshotted their jokes:

The nation's first polls close at 7 p.m. EST.

Original story:

To quote the great 2000 movie "Almost Famous," it's all happening. The lengthy and turbulent general election cycle was finally drawing Tuesday to a close as thousands of people headed to their local polling places and cast ballots for their candidates of choice.

The big decision, of course, was between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Both widely unpopular, the two politicians each had their share of scandals. He had a leaked audio tape in which he used profanity to describe sexually assaulting women; she had the use of a private email server while secretary of state.

Heading into Tuesday's election, Clinton was leading ever so slightly. According to the RealClearPolitics average of national polls, the Democrat was polling at 45.5 percent to Trump's 42.3 percent. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein trailed the two major candidates at 4.7 percent and 1.8 percent, respectively.

As of Monday afternoon, the data site FiveThirtyEight gave Clinton a roughly 70 percent chance of winning the election, scoring swing states like Florida, Colorado, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania in her favor. Trump, however, was projected to win Ohio.

"In the prognostication business, what you predict at the end — when the drift of the year is usually fairly clear — is less significant than what you predict months before, at a time when the future is foggy," University of Virginia politics expert Larry Sabato and his staff wrote in a Monday newsletter. "Starting in March, we have released a total of 17 electoral college maps in the Clinton-Trump race. Not even on Clinton’s worst campaign days did we ever have her below 270 electoral votes."

Early voting turnout numbers in several states exceeded their 2012 levels. In the last general election, about 58 percent of eligible voters turned out to cast ballots, down from 62 percent in 2008, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. That, of course, was also a historic election — the nation's first black president, whereas Clinton could be the country's first female commander-in-chief.

International Business Times will be updating this file all night with election results from across the country. Check back for updates.

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Election 2016