12:42 p.m.

Wisconsin U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin has retained her seat for a third term, according to projections from the Associated Press.

11:10 a.m.

The Associated Press projects that Republican Derrick Van Orden has won reelection to Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, defeating challenger Rebecca Cooke.

1:30 a.m.

Democrat Betty McCollum has won her reelection bid for Minnesota’s 4th Congressional District, according to Associated Press projections.

11:04 p.m.

Republican Congressman Tom Emmer wins reelection in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, according to Associated Press projections.

10:57 p.m.

Democrat Kelly Morrison is projected to win the open 3rd Congressional District in Minnesota, the Associated Press projects.

Likewise, Republican incumbent Rep. Pete Stauber is the projected winner in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District.

And Democratic Rep. Angie Craig is projected to hang on to her seat in the 2nd Congressional District.

10:44 p.m.

The Associated Press has called two more races in Minnesota.

Democrat Amy Klobuchar will retain her seat in the Senate, and Republican Brad Finstad won reelection in the 1st Congressional District.

10:39 p.m.

A trickle of reported votes in Minnesota turned to a flood when nearly all Hennepin County precincts were finally reported around 10:30 p.m.

With nearly 39% of precincts now reporting, Democrat Kamala Harris now has a 13-point lead over Republican Donald Trump in the presidential race, and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar is up 24 points on Republican challenger Royce White.

10:35 p.m.

The Associated Press has called Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District for Democratic incumbent Rep. Ilhan Omar, who will serve her fourth term.

10:33 p.m.

Democrat Ann Johnson Stewart won the special election in Minnesota’s 45th State Senate District, cementing DFL control of the Senate for the next two years.

10:18 p.m.

Republican Michelle Fischbach has won reelection to a third term in Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District, the Associated Press projects.

9:50 p.m.

Republican Tom Tiffany has won reelection to Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, defeating Democratic opponent Kyle Kilbourn, the Associated Press projects.

Wisconsin voters also approved a constitutional amendment to bar noncitizens from voting.

9:47 p.m.

More than an hour and a half after polls closed, votes continue to be reported at a snail’s pace in Minnesota.

With less than 10% of precincts reporting, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a 15-point lead over Democrat Kamala Harris, and Republican Senate candidate Royce White is up 9 points on Democratic incumbent Amy Klobuchar.

Notably, zero votes have been reported in the deep-blue 3rd, 4th and 5th Congressional Districts. Democratic Rep. Angie Craig has a slight lead over Republican Joe Teirab in the 2nd Congressional District, which is likely to be Minnesota’s only contested U.S. House seat.

In Wisconsin, the count is progressing much more quickly.

With 55% of precincts reporting, Trump has a slight advantage over Harris, but the race is virtually neck and neck. Meanwhile, incumbent Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin has a slight advantage over GOP challenger Eric Hovde.

8 p.m.

Polls are now closed in Minnesota and Wisconsin. You can monitor all state and federal election results as they are updated here.

6:40 p.m.

At DFL Election Night headquarters in downtown St. Paul, the room was still empty around 6 p.m. as volunteers were still trying to get out the vote in the final stretch before the polls close.

Party leaders said the 1.2 million early votes cast in Minnesota is a good sign for DFL candidates.

The DFL says the top two issues they’re hearing about from voters are the economy and individual freedoms.

DFL Party Chair Ken Martin says having Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz running for vice president will drive Democratic supporters to the polls and help the party maintain control of the state Legislature.

“Well for sure, in addition to Tim Walz, we also have Amy Klobuchar,” Martin said. “Two of the most popular politicians in the state of Minnesota on top of the ticket — it won’t hurt us. It will help us create a lift for those down ballot candidates.”

6:30 p.m.

There’s a lot at stake Tuesday night for the Minnesota Republican Party.

No Republican presidential candidate has won Minnesota since 1972. There’s an open seat in the 3rd Congressional District, and Republicans are trying to unseat DFL Rep. Angie Craig in the competitive 2nd Congressional District.

Joe Teirab, Craig’s challenger, is holding his own watch party on Tuesday night, but 3rd District candidate Tad Jude is expected to be at GOP headquarters in Bloomington. Both were outspent by their Democratic opponents during the campaign.

One of the top priorities for the Republican Party has been changing the balance of power at the State Capitol, where Democrats control both the House and the Senate.

Two years ago, Minnesota GOP Chair David Hann said he was confident his party would win the trifecta — the Governor’s Office, Senate and House — but the opposite happened instead. In 2024, Hann says he’s tracking about half a dozen close state House races and the sole state Senate seat that will determine control of the upper chamber.

“Most of them are kind of exurban areas that are closely divided,” Hann said. “They’re kind of swing demographics, and the sense that we have is that a lot of those voters that aren’t aligned with either Republicans or Democrats are kind of unhappy with the way they’ve seen the Democrats govern the state and they’re coming our way, so we think we’ll see some wins on the Republican side.”

6 p.m.

The rain was steady on Election Day, but so was turnout. Minnesotans headed to the polls at 7 a.m., but even before they opened Tuesday more than 1.2 million had already voted by absentee and mail-in ballots according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office.  

“I saw that a large percentage of people had already voted, so it was super easy.  We walked in, did our thing. No stress, no fuss. It was a really great experience this time around,” said voter Adrian Freeman.

“I was in and out in less than two minutes.  It was perfect,” said Todd Harmsen.

Minnesota typically leads the country when it comes to voter turnout. Most voters said it was the top of the ticket that brought them out; others were focused on some of the local races and ballot issues.

“Top of the ticket is always important, but I always vote in local races.  Judges are really important too,” said voter Sara Masterman.

The polls will remain open until 8 p.m. on Tuesday night.

5:45 p.m.

Right now, election officials are processing mail-in ballots and preparing them for counting — which will only start when the polls close.

Every county is going through this same process of getting absentee ballots ready to be counted, and there were a lot of them this year.

From an election security and integrity standpoint, it’s been a mostly smooth day, but there have been isolated reports of tabulators down in some precincts, including in Lakeville, Golden Valley and Fridley.

Those machines are up and running now — and it involves a very specific protocol.

Election judges from both parties collect ballots and then feed them into the machines to be tabulated once they’re functional again.

Another issue has come up regarding questionable text messages.

The political action committee Make Liberty Win sent a message to some Minnesota voters on Tuesday morning urging them to vote tomorrow.

The Texas-based PAC blamed cell carriers who “have a nasty tendency to delay some of their text messages around Election Day.”

Executive Director Barrett Young went on to describe our reporter Ryan Raiche’s line of questioning as “silly and clearly designed to spin a last-minute voter suppression narrative in the hopes of helping the DFL.”

7 a.m.

While early and absentee voting has been underway for weeks ahead of the 2024 general election, polls for voting on the day of are now open.

In Minnesota and Wisconsin, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. However, as long as you’re in line at 8 p.m., you’ll be able to vote, even if you aren’t at the front of the line.

Make sure to dress appropriately for the weather – lines may be long, and the forecast from Minnesota’s Weather Authority is currently calling for scattered showers and highs ranging from the mid-40s. Click HERE for the latest forecast and HERE for an interactive radar.

If you aren’t sure where your polling place is, you can find it by clicking HERE for Minnesota locations and HERE for Wisconsin polls. In Minnesota, you can register to vote at your poll – make sure to bring either an ID or a proof of residency, such as a pay stub or a utility bill.

For those who voted early by mail and need to return your ballot in person, you’ll need to return it to the election office by 8 p.m. on Tuesday. They can also be returned in a designated ballot drop box. Before polls opened Tuesday morning, the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office said more than 1.2 million people in the state had voted early for this election.

“I’m super excited, I can’t wait. It’s one of those days that everyone’s connected to the TV – we want to know who’s going to win and this is a powerful country, we need the votes,” said voter Yolanda Beltran.

“Don’t complaint about the world or politics if you don’t vote. If you vote, you have a voice in it,” said fellow voter Phil Fahey.

If you haven’t looked at a sample ballot for your precinct, you can do so by clicking HERE for Minnesota residents and HERE for Wisconsin residents.

RELATED: 2024 Election Guide: What you need to know before you vote I Many school districts across the state asking voters to approve funding increases this election I MPS places $20M tech levy question before voters on November ballot I Several Minnesota ballots include sales tax referendum to expand public safety facilities I Wisconsin voters consider constitutional amendment barring noncitizens from voting

Feel like sharing a photo of the line at your polling place, your “I Voted” sticker, or who you’re waiting in line with at your precinct? Click HERE to send in a photo to the KSTP-TV newsroom – it may be used online or on-air!

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS will be tracking results for the U.S. presidential election, as well as legislative races in both states. Those results can be found HERE. Make sure to download the KSTP app for the latest updates on all major races.

RELATED: 30% of registered voters cast early ballots in Minneapolis as access increases statewide I Minnesota republicans raise concerns over election security after unattended ballot debacle I Ballot security lapse called ‘boneheaded’ and ‘unacceptable’ I AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Wisconsin on Election Day