A Port Orange man is flying from Italy to vote in the 2024 election

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

Election Day is finally here and while more than half of eligible voters in both Volusia and Flagler the counties have already voted, we still have a long day ahead with open votes until 7 p.m

Both counties could break voting records tonight, and our reporters and photographers will be at the polls today to talk to candidates, voters and others about the high-stakes election and why it’s so important to them.

The News-Journal will keep you up to date with the latest news throughout the day with our live blog, including breaking poll information, breaking news and anything else election-related.

18:20 | Guiseppe Venturoso is a retired restaurateur who flew back to his home in Port Orange, Italy, where he spends part of the year just so he can vote in the election.

When asked what issues or races concerned him most, Venturoso said, “That we remain a democracy, that this country remains the greater country that it is.”

Venturoso said he usually voted Republican in presidential races, including Reagan and both Bushes, but said this time, “I went Democrat.”

17:50 | Cassandra Taylor of DeLand said this election marked her first time voting in Florida after moving from New York.

“It’s a very red state (Florida) and I’m from a very blue state,” Taylor said, “but it wasn’t difficult to make a choice.”

Taylor voted for Vice President Kamala Harris because she doesn’t like Trump, she said, because of what he says about people. “So the person I don’t like didn’t get my vote,” she said.

Taylor’s niece, Jasmyne Taylor, 18, was a first-time voter who also cast her vote for Harris, partly because she is a woman, but more because she considers young voters and plans to bring better opportunities , she said.

“It felt good,” Taylor said of her first vote. “I can choose who I want.”

In Flagler County, Alyssa Lull, 24, said it was her first time voting. She cast her vote for former President Donald Trump.

Afterward, she posed for a picture with a large cutout of Trump next to a Republican tent outside the library. In addition to Trump’s picture, the GOP table also had a fake hand grenade-looking novelty item with Trump’s face on it. Press a button and a Trump-like voice will play from it.

“I voted for Donald Trump today because I believe in many of the things he will bring to our country,” Lull said. “And I think it’s really going to have an impact for the better. He was before and showed us what he can do.”

17:05 | With just hours before polls begin closing in Volusia County, traffic at the Office of the Supervisor of Elections is light as workers prepare for the counting to begin.

Some residents came to cast their postal ballots, while others were still unsure where to go to vote.

But election workers at the office, led by county Supervisor of Elections Lisa Lewis, worked to help voters who need help today.

“We’ve been here since 4:30 a.m.,” Lewis said Tuesday afternoon.

After the polls close, all equipment and ballots must be transported to county drop-off locations and then ultimately to the supervisor’s office on Woodland Boulevard in DeLand for the vote count.

“The first results you see are mail-in voting and early voting,” Lewis said. “All we have until last night will be the first ones that come in – all the early voting results, which is the highest turnout now, 147,000, and then the postal vote, about 89,000.”

Most of the general results, she said, will be out “shortly after the polls close,” given that election day turnout was about 55,000.

Lewis said voting went smoothly throughout the day, except for a temporarily malfunctioning voting machine in New Smyrna Beach.

That equipment has been replaced, Lewis said, and ballot deposits in an emergency bin will be tabulated until the polls close.

Lewis said the county was seeing “high turnout,” with more than 76 percent by 4:30 p.m.

“The highest so far has been 77 percent and change, so I think we’ll see at least 80 percent,” she said. “We just need to ask for patience from everyone.”

— Brenno Carillo

Volusia voter shares thoughts on 2024 election at NSB precinct

Unincorporated Volusia County resident Stanley Immich cast his ballot Tuesday morning in New Smyrna Beach, saying he wants “unity” in the country.

15:56 | Unincorporated Volusia County resident Stanley Immich went to St. Peter the Fisherman Episcopal Church in New Smyrna Beach Tuesday morning to cast his vote for former President Trump.

Aside from his concerns about border security and the economy, Immich said he hopes the country can find a sense of unity regardless of the results.

Election workers at the polling station said the reason for the steady but quiet movement on Election Day may have to do with the fact that most of those assigned to that polling station had already voted early.

— Brenno Carillo

15:23 | As voters filed into polling places Tuesday afternoon, Volusia County Chairman Jeff Brower said he was glad to see the campaign season come to an end.

“My family is happy. My children are happy. It’s a lot of hard work,” Brower said in a telephone interview from the Bayberry Lakes Clubhouse voting headquarters on LPGA Boulevard in Daytona Beach.

Brower went to the location to share information with voters.

“It’s been really stable,” he said. “I’m hearing from all the precincts we have people in, that it’s steady — not as busy as it was … Friday and Saturday.”

While people have made up their minds about their choice for president, many don’t know about the items on the ballot, Brower said.

“We did everything we could for ourselves, against the odds, being so out-funded and then taken out of the voter guide,” he said.

The Volusia County Republican Executive Committee’s voter guide lists only his opponent, Randy Dye. Both are Republicans.

In a few hours, candidates will head to their parties to see the results.

Brower and his supporters will be at the Daytona Beach Racing & Card Club in Daytona Beach, an entertainment complex with a poker room.

“It’s free. They have a very big room and they don’t pay for it. We were there for the primaries, so they welcome us there,” he said.

— Sheldon Gardner

‘Glad to be an American, for sure’: Randy Dye speaks at the polling station

Volusia County Presidential Candidate Dye shares his thoughts on Election Day.

14:48 | According to the county’s Office of the Supervisor of Elections, more than 70 percent of Flagler Republicans cast ballots, which is just over 33,700 voters. For Democrats, 69 percent of voters — about 16,700 people — did the same.

14:20 | According to the county Office of the Supervisor of Elections, 65.8 percent of Volusia’s 161,624 registered Republicans voted, while 63.8 percent of 106,185 registered Democrats did the same.

As for voters with no party affiliation, 51,500 voters cast their ballots early.

Palm Coast man says he voted for Kamala Harris

Al, a Palm Coast resident who declined to give his last name, said he voted for Kamala Harris. He said Trump is “very insecure.”

Watch: Port Orange voters weigh in on 2024 US general election

Port Orange residents talk about race and the issues that matter most to them both nationally and locally in Volusia County, Florida.

13:30 | Most Volusia and Flagler voters took advantage of the opportunity to vote before Election Day, according to officials.

In Volusia County, about 61 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots early — that’s about 235,000 of the county’s roughly 384,000 active eligible voters.

In Flagler County, about 65,000 of the county’s 96,750 active eligible voters have already cast their ballots, which is just over 66 percent of eligible voters.

These numbers are higher than the 2020 presidential election.

Statewide, nearly 8 million people have already voted.

— Brenno Carillo

12:29 | Friendliness and civility were evident among the crowd of people from a polling place in DeLand Tuesday morning.

Dozens of people stretched beyond the doors of St. Johns no. 37, a Masonic lodge and polling place at 2557 N. Spring Garden Ave. in DeLand at approximately 7:20 am.

A person offered to help an elderly woman with a walker through the door. Another woman smiled and waved at someone she knew as she left the cabin.

A framed picture of George Washington, with quotes from the first president, hangs on a wall inside the building.

The line moved well and voting took about 30 minutes.

The people helping at the polling station guided the voters with smiles and kindness.

“Thank you from the bottom of your heart for voting,” said one woman as she handed out a “I Voted” sticker.

— Sheldon Gardner

11:50 | If you make a mistake on your ballot, you can request a replacement ballot.

Both Volusia and Flagler counties can provide assistance to voters with special requirements.

— Brenno Carillo

11:04 | After setting early voting records in both Volusia and Flagler counties, there was still a wait at the polls Tuesday morning, where residents like first-time voter Anna Larson, 18, cast their ballots .

What should voters bring to the polls?

10:20 | Most importantly, make sure you are registered to vote in the state of Florida and bring a form of photo ID with signature.

Some of these documents include a Florida driver’s license, US passport, student ID, retirement center ID and other possible forms of identification – click here for the full list.

— Brenno Carillo

When do polls close in Volusia and Flagler counties?

time 9:48 | Volusia-Flagler residents who waited until Election Day to cast their ballots have almost all day to do so.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 7 p.m. at the Volusia and Flagler precincts.

Voters who are unsure of their constituency can visit volusiaelections.gov or flaglerelections.com.

If you still have a mail-in ballot, you can send it to your county supervisor of elections office by 7:00 p.m.:

Volusia — 1750 S. Woodland Blvd., DeLand.

Flagler – 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Suite 101, Bunnell.

— Brenno Carillo