LIVE UPDATES: Alachua County voters head to the polls

As of Tuesday at 7 p.m., over 30,679 Alachua County residents have voted on Election Day. Overall, the county has seen about 84% voter turnout with early voting and mail-in ballots included, or 137,739 ballots cast, according to the county's turnout tracker .

Turnout was 75% in 2020, though a larger number of voters made up the percentage — more than 140,000.

After early voting ended Nov. 3, over half of Alachua County had cast a ballot at an early polling location or by mail.

Alachua County voters will have the chance to cast ballots for seven local and state races , including two Alachua County Commission seats, two state House of Representative seats, one state Senate seat, a sheriff's race and the supervisor of elections position.

Voters will also have the opportunity to vote on six state amendments , including the highly debated Amendments 3 and 4, which would legalize recreational marijuana and limit government interference for abortions, respectively.

Polls closed at 7 p.m. Polling locations across the county can be found here .

Live updates:

Willow Sinkus-Blackburn, a 21-year-old microbiology major, was also in attendance for the presidential watch party at The Swamp and gave her thoughts on the election.

She casted her vote for Harris largely because of her discontentment with Trump both as a person and a politician. More specifically because of Amendments 3 and 4, which Trump has historically been against.

"I didn't necessarily like either candidate," Sinkus-Blackburn said. "But I was very anti-Trump so I just wanted to go against some of his issues of policy."

For people who are voting for the first time or are undecided, Sinkus-Blackburn thinks people should heavily consider the viewpoints of their friends and families.

A majority of the watch party crowd at The Swamp favored Trump. The Republican-heavy atmosphere only added to the stress and anxiety that Sinkus-Blackburn has been feeling leading up to Election Day.

"I'm a little scared," she said. "I feel like the majority people here are more for Trump, which — OK, that is fine, you can obviously vote for whoever you want — so I don't want to say [they're] obnoxious but I feel like it's very Trump-oriented."

Although Sinkus-Blackburn was unaware of where the presidential nominees stand regarding Amendments 3 and 4, she felt comfortable crossing party affiliation for local and state elections.

"I'm more moderate [politically]," she said. "I'm fine with crossing party lines as long as it doesn't involve social rights then I'm fine."

The 2024 presidential election is underway and Gainesville residents are awaiting results. A large crowd formed at The Swamp Restaurant, a popular bar and restaurant among UF students.

Bri Baker, a 19-year-old UF criminology major, is voting in the presidential election for the first time. Baker comes from a majority Republican family, which played a factor in her decision to vote for Trump in 2024.

"I am personally a Republican, and my entire family is Republican," Baker said. "All of his policies align with what my family aligns with... It's personally better for us to vote Republican over Democrat."

More specifically, Baker will be voting for Trump because of the policies that the former president stands for. The topics that drew the most concern and interest from Baker were the ones she educated herself the most, she said.

"For policies, personally, his taxation and his immigration policy I think is very important to me," Baker said. "I'm not huge on abortion and all that stuff. I don't feel like I'm educated enough to talk about it, but definitely immigration [and] taxation."

Immigration has been a big issue in America lately, Baker said. Some of the biggest consequences that she thinks comes with that is the safety of the United States and its citizens.

Baker also thinks that Trump's plan for the economy is strong, especially for the middle class, she said. She disagrees with the way Americans are currently being taxed.

Baker's also felt election anxiety in the past few weeks.

"It completely affects my future and my children's future and my husband's future," she said. "That's a scary concept to swallow."

The voting polls officially closed at 7 p.m. According to the county's election results tracker, none of the 63 precincts in Alachua County have started reporting races.

Riley Crovo, 22, walked into Ignite Life Center in a 'Make America Great Again' hat, ready to cast her vote for former President Donald Trump.

However, she struggled with her decision to vote yes or no on Amendment 4.

"I was honestly going back and forth on that one for a bit," Crovo said.

While she did vote no on Amendment 4, Crovo understands other women's support on the matter, she said.

"As a woman, I think it is right to not have that right [abortion] taken away, but as a born and raised Christian, I was taught that's not right," she said.

For 20-year-old Jamiah Crawford, Nov. 5 was her first time ever voting.

She voted for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, hoping for representation of both a Black American and a woman in office, she said.

"She's also a woman of color," she said. "Her plans make sense to me, whereas other candidates don't."

For other voters, voting to get specific candidates out of office, or prevent them from taking office, was what incentivized them to cast their ballot.

For Logan Dubs, a 21-year-old UF political science major, voting against Rick Scott and Donald Trump incentivized him to vote, he said.

"Voting against Rick Scott and even against Donald Trump are very important to me," he said.

He hopes his vote for Harris will be a step in the right direction for the country as a whole, he said.

"This is just a band-aid on a gunshot wound, but I think it's a really good first step," he said. "I really hope that after this election, assuming it goes the way we're all hoping, that we can move on and leave a lot of 'Trumpism' in the past."

While some voted for national issues like Amendment 4, others came to Ignite Life Center for local issues on the ballot.

Husband and wife Marie and Bill Mercer were passionate about the Gainesville Regional Utilities referendum.

Marie, who works in risk management for the City of Gainesville, voted yes.

Voting for local issues is essential — especially in seeing the first-hand impact you have, Bill said.

"Local elections are much more likely to have an impact on your immediate life," he said.

Members of the UF College Democrats campaigned outside the Reitz Union, a polling location for students who live on-campus.

Olivia Belinc, a public relations director of UF College Democrats and a campus fellow for Florida Future Leaders, said this was her first time voting in a presidential election. She said she voted for Harris through a mail-in ballot.

"[Harris] has a lot of experience," Belinc said. "She's a prosecutor, she's been a senator [and] she's been Attorney General, so she's made it clear that she knows what she's doing and that she has a plan and that she wants to make this country better."

Belinc said another Trump presidency would be incredibly dangerous for marginalized communities and said the country cannot afford it.

However, she remains optimistic and said the polls have been looking good.

"I've been with UFCD for a little bit, and I've never seen this much support and curiosity about what we're doing," Belinc said. "We've gotten hundreds of students coming up to us, asking questions about the ballot and where we stand on certain issues. It's been great to see how excited people are." —

Jessica Whitt, a 41-year-old registered nurse, has voted twice. This election, she cast her vote at the Millhopper Branch Library.

Whitt said she voted no on Amendments 3 and 4.

She also says she voted for Donald Trump in this election because she agrees with his policies.

"That's what it's most about, is trying to pick a person that is most aligned with what you believe, and is best for not only your family, but financially, socially," Whitt said.

Whitt believes that it is important for first time voters to educate themselves on the topics that they are voting on, and to not understand only one side of an issue.

"Take time to understand what the policies are about, and what things are going to be reflective of your voting so that you can make really informed decisions, and you're not just voting with what's popular."

Paige Robson, a 28-year-old physical therapist, said she is voting for Kamala Harris. Robson also said that she is voting yes on Amendments 3 and 4.

Robson said she voted for Harris because she is opposed to Trump.

"Unfortunately I haven't done a ton of research on it [Kamala Harris' policies], I feel like it was kind of a big change that was so rapid that it did not really give us a whole lot of time to do a ton of research," she said.

This is Robson's seventh time voting.

Robson also says that first time voters should do their research and not feel pressured by anyone to vote for a specific candidate.

"It's against what I did, but do your research, and don't base it on just your parents," she said. "I was registered Republican when I was 18, and then I went to college and kind of got educated. You don't have to vote how your peers vote, vote how you feel you should."

Alana Goldberg, a 20-year-old UF criminology, sociology and law junior, said she voted because she's looking for change, above all else.

She said the local amendments are important to her, and she'd like her voice to be heard on issues that will most directly impact her life. Goldberg cast her ballot at the First Lutheran Church on Northwest Fifth Avenue.

Goldberg said her top issue is abortion access. Along with voting yes on Amendment 4, she voted in favor of Amendment 3 because her friends enjoy smoking marijuana.

UF philosophy senior Liam Allistair, 26, said this is his third time voting in a presidential election. He cast his vote at First Lutheran Church on Northwest Fifth Avenue Tuesday afternoon in favor of Amendments 3 and 4, which legalize recreational marijuana and expand abortion access, respectively.

"[Voting's] about a system that's bigger than you," Allistair said.

UF accounting freshman Ella Martin, 18, voted for the first time Tuesday. She said it was important for her because she's hopeful Florida could become a swing state this election.

Martin voted in favor of Amendments 3 and 4 because "people should do what they want."

Luke Clark voted Tuesday afternoon at First Lutheran Church on Northwest Fifth Avenue. The UF mathematics and computer science senior said the precinct was a convenient five-minute walk from where he lives.

Clark identified affordable housing and election integrity as his most important issues. He said he voted against Amendment 6, which would end public campaign financing for statewide elections.

"I ideally wouldn't want tax dollars paying for political campaigns, but I think that's better than having corporations donate to pay for political campaigns," he said.

UF computer science senior Jack Crew, 21, accompanied Clark to the polling site. Crew said the economy and foreign policy concerns were top of mind. He also voted against Amendment 6.

Nineteen-year-old UF political science and history major Ana Perez works for the nonpartisan organization Yes On 4 Florida, which advocates for the passage of Amendment 4. If passed, the amendment will limit government interference with abortion and guarantee the right to terminate a pregnancy up to fetal viability, or about 24 weeks.

Perez, at Yes On 4's table on UF's campus Tuesday afternoon, said the issue is most mobilizing among young women, but men have voiced their support.

"It will allow health care providers and patients to make that decision for themselves," Perez said. "As of right now, the [abortion] ban as it is, it's before women even know they're pregnant."

The state currently prohibits abortion past six weeks of pregnancy unless a patient meets statutory exceptions. Amendment 4 would not change the state legislature's constitutional authority requiring a parent to be notified before a minor gets an abortion.

On the morning of Election Day, retired voters enjoyed brunch at the local Clock Restaurant.

Earl Moon, a 79-year-old retired Gainesville resident, said he voted on the first day of early voting for Kamala Harris because she "represents the people."

"She's trying to bring people back together, regardless of race," he said.

Moon said elections over the years have only gotten larger, and appreciates how quickly he was able to vote this season, especially as he has accessibility issues.

Moon said he advises younger generations to get to the polls.

"That's what this country runs on," he said. "It's so important to vote, even if I don't agree with what you vote for."

Barbara Barbour, an 83-year-old retired Gainesville resident, said she voted for Trump in person just before coming to the Clock. She's voted in Gainesville since 1970, and voting on election day is extremely important to her, she said.

Originally, Barbour said she didn't vote for Trump in 2016, claiming she was raised to be a "die-hard democrat." However, she said she voted for him in 2020 and thereafter.

"I thought he had a mouth on him," she said. "But I changed my opinion ... I started doing my research. Even though he says things that are sometimes not pleasing to the ears, I think he has good policy."

Harold Ray Hawley, an 80-year-old retired Gainesville resident, said he voted for former president Donald Trump through a mail-in ballot a few days ago. He's voted in Gainesville since 1959.

Hawley said he voted for Trump because "there's not much fake about him."

"Some of the stuff he stands for, that's what I stand for," he said.

Hawley said he advises younger voters to look at each candidate for what their history is, rather than what they are now.

"Being old like I am, I've seen a lot and I've experienced a lot," he said. "Make an honest judgment, rather than based on personality."