2024 Election live updates: Polls close in Bay Area, CA as results start to roll in

More than one million registered voters live in Santa Clara County and a huge turnout is expected for this 2024 Presidential Election. As of Tuesday morning, 505,000 votes had already been counted, roughly 48% of county voters. Around 40% more are expected to flow in to make their voices heard.

At the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voter's Office, voters were excited to cast their ballot, some for the first time. From a high schooler convinced by her grandmother, to a man who was in Afghanistan, people came out in droves.

The Registrar's Office has been counting ballots for weeks and will continue to work through each and every ballot cast until the work is done.

"I think a lot of people are excited about getting their voice heard," Steve Goltiao with the SCC Registrar of Voter's Office said. "Aside from the Presidential race, there are a lot of state and local measures that a lot of people need to make decisions on. It's going to be really important decisions that affect their lives and their families."

Voters in San Francisco are deciding whether to reelect Mayor London Breed in a heated and expensive race against four key fellow Democrats over issues of homelessness and public safety. Breed is the first Black woman to serve as mayor of San Francisco. Her opponents say she squandered her six years in office. She says she successfully steered the city through a pandemic. In nearby Oakland, Mayor Sheng Thao is fighting a recall election. Recall proponents say Thao's lack of leadership worsened crime in Oakland and drove out businesses. Her supporters say she is working hard to stabilize the city.

A polling place in the Oakland Hills was closed on Tuesday morning due to a Red Flag Warning issued for the Bay Area, according to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters.

The Joaquin Miller Center Vote Center #73 was closed and residents were instead directed to vote at a nearby site, Montera Middle School Vote Center #72 at 5555 Ascot Drive in Oakland.

The nearest 24-hour ballot drop box for the area is at Woodminster Market, 5000 Woodminster Lane in Oakland.

Strong winds and dry conditions prompted a Red Flag Warning for the Bay Area for the next two days, according to the National Weather Service.

Critical fire weather conditions are expected from 11 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday morning for interior parts of the region as well as San Francisco, and along the Peninsula and bay shorelines.

The ballot boxes are out, the research has been done and those handy "I Voted" stickers are ready as Bay Area voters cast their votes.

The ballot boxes are out, the research has been done and those handy "I Voted" stickers are ready.

Tuesday is the final day to vote in-person, drop off your ballot and even still register to vote at vote centers in California.

"I think it's one of the most important elections of my lifetime, there are many important issues on the ballot," Mina Bressler, a San Mateo resident said.

"It feels good!" Antonio Encarnacion, a San Mateo resident said. "It's surprising how quickly it came but I'm glad that it's here."

Voters in San Mateo County wasted no time on Election Day heading to the polls as soon as they opened at 7 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

"It feels fulfilling, I feel like I'm just doing my civic duty, doing my part, being a part of this country, it's a right that not a lot of people get to experience so I'm glad to be able to do it myself," Encarnacion said.

Mina Bressler voted early by mailing her ballot in weeks ago.

"I got a little text that said my vote was received and counted," she said.

Still, she wanted her two daughters to be a part of the process.

So they hand-delivered donuts to poll workers, carrying on a bit of a family tradition.

"Growing up, my mom took me to the polls every year, in the garages of our neighbors in Los Angeles and I grew up with the understanding that it's important to participate in any way we can and voting is the most important way," Bressler said. "You know, we didn't have the vote forever, the women, and I want to show my girls that their voices count and they matter."

Alicia Lima was proud to cast her ballot too.

"Great! I was last minute but I did it!" Lima said.

A right, she doesn't take lightly after her family immigrated here from El Savador back in the 1980's.

"We need to vote to make changes, especially with immigrants, we are citizens here, we're not born here but please vote so we can make difference," she said.

Across the state, polls close at 8 p.m.

If you're voting in-person, just make sure you are in line by 8 p.m.

The San Mateo County Registrar of Voters is expected to release their first batch of results by 8:10 p.m.