12:00 a.m. update: We've reached midnight here on Election Day, so here’s where things stand as we power down the live blog for the night:

All of the state’s congressional races have been called, with all incumbents safe and one new Democratic representative joining the pack. They will be heading into a Congress in which Democrats are expected to control both chambers, though the margins are not yet settled.

Campaigns involved in several of the nine ballot measures have declared victory or conceded defeat. Proponents of Question 3, the fiercely debated all-party primaries measure, conceded around 11:30 p.m. The campaign backing Question 6, creating a new conservation fund, declared victory. And opponents of Question 9, which sought to repeal recent gun restrictions, said they had succeeded in their campaign to preserve the law.

The Associated Press called Question 1 at about 11:40 p.m., handing State Auditor Diana DiZoglio her second ballot victory in as many cycles. But a rocky road may await the measure, which subjects the Legislature and governor’s office to state public records law. Five other measures' fates are still up in the air, with results expected on Wednesday.

The top-of-the ticket races went about as expected, with Gov. Maura Healey declared the victor within a hair of polls closing.

For now, that’s Election Day here at CommonWealth Beacon. We’ll be back with more election coverage tomorrow. — The CommonWealth Beacon team

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11:59 p.m.: Proponents of Question 3 conceded defeat on Tuesday night. One of the fiercest fights of the ballot season, the all-party primary question pitted both major parties and legislative leadership, along with some progressive groups and unions, against the advocates who pitched the question and the moderate private equity executives pouring money into the effort.

“When you throw grit into the gears of a political machine, the machine fights back,” the Yes on 3 campaign wrote in an emailed statement. “The people who benefit most from the way things are fought hard for this result. In the last few weeks, voters heard a lot from people with the most to protect under the current system: the major political parties and insiders who want to decide what choices voters get on their ballots. That's what defending the status quo looks like.”

— Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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11:50 p.m.: Democrats have won control of the US Senate, per the Associated Press. How big a majority they'll hold isn't yet clear; 10 races have yet to be called. — Sam Schulz, managing editor

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11:46 p.m.: For the second cycle in a row, State Auditor Diana DiZoglio successfully pushed a ballot measure aimed at making the Legislature’s inner workings more accessible. Question 1, which the Associated Press called at about 11:40 p.m., makes the Legislature and the governor’s office subject to the public records law.

Legislative leaders have said the measure raises serious separation of powers issues but did not challenge the measure before the state Supreme Judicial Court. In the coming weeks, they may surface legislation before January that could alter the newly passed public records law. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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11:17 p.m.: Nationwide, Democrats were jubilant as Tuesday night wore on and they clinched a flurry of races around the country that had recently been thought out-of-reach.

Now that list of victories includes a few of their most sought-after Senate seats: In Texas, Rep. James Talarico defeated scandal-scarred Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, and in Ohio, Sherrod Brown secured his return to the Senate against incumbent Jon Husted, the AP called just after 11 p.m. —Sam Schulz, managing editor

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11:07 p.m. update: They may have some gripes with the Legislature, but Massachusetts voters were mostly happy with the firearm law it passed two years ago and are on track to turn aside an attempt by gun rights advocates to repeal it.

Supporters of keeping the law in place celebrated victory around 10:45 p.m., as Ruth Zakarin, chair of the Yes on 9 campaign, described the outcome as a way to “protect the strong foundation that we have already built with this legislation and with the legislation that came before it.” Zakarin noted that Massachusetts has one of the lowest rates of gun violence in the country, but she said “they’re not low enough.”

“Every shooting is a crisis and a call to action,” she said. “No family should be missing a family member at their dinner table, and no community should be left traumatized by gun violence.” The sweeping legislation enhanced requirements on training, licensing, and data collection, and created regulations for ghost guns and 3-D printed guns. — Chris Lisinski, senior reporter; Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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11:02 p.m.: Results are now official in Massachusetts's last remaining congressional races. US Rep. Stephen Lynch has been re-elected in the Eighth congressional district, per the AP. US Rep. Jake Auchincloss will hold the Fourth district, and US Rep. Richard Neal is safe in the First. Few of the state's nine congressional seats were competitive, and all will remain held by Democrats. — Sam Schulz, managing editor; Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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11:00 p.m.: The campaign backing ballot Question 6 has declared victory. This measure, which drew no official opposition, aims to establish a new Nature for All Fund with as much as $100 million annually for water and land conservation.

“The results of Question 6 confirm what we already knew: that protecting the outdoors has broad appeal," Mass Audubon President David O’Neill said in a statement. "This is an historic night for the nature of Massachusetts.”

The measure, which was backed by environmental groups and endorsed by Gov. Maura Healey, prompted gentle skepticism from some. Attracting substantial financial support from a few wealthy individuals, the question aims to divert some of the state’s future revenue from existing sales tax on sporting goods to the new conservation fund. But it will happen only if lawmakers choose to allocate those funds. And legislators haven’t expressed enthusiasm about the measure.

The MassGOP suggested a no vote, the Massachusetts Democratic party recommended a yes vote, and it was the only question where Progressive Massachusetts said people should “vote how you want.”

“Massachusetts has been at the forefront of land conservation for generations, but for years we’ve underfunded nature,” said Katie Theoharides, president of The Trustees. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter; Jordan Wolman, senior reporter

10:35 p.m.: Gov. Maura Healey and U.S. Sen. Ed Markey declared victory Tuesday night before a packed ballroom as Democrats appear poised for major wins around the country.

“I promise you this: I’m going to work my hardest every single day for the things that matter in your lives, to show up, to deliver, and to stand up when you need it most,” Healey said. “Now, that starts with lowering your costs.” Read more here. — Jordan Wolman, senior reporter

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10:32 p.m.: The state delegation is looking no less blue, but there is a new US representative heading to Washington. Or maybe back to Washington would be more accurate. Former Biden White House aide Dan Koh, a Democrat, beat Republican Micah Jones to fill the Sixth Congressional District opened up by US Rep. Seth Moulton’s unsuccessful bid to unseat US Sen. Ed Markey. The Associated Press called the race just before 10:30 p.m.

Koh’s ascendence — his second bid for a congressional seat — looked guaranteed after he held off state Rep. Tram Nguyen in the September primary. Koh, a former aide to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, will be the first Asian American representing Massachusetts in Congress.

Meanwhile, two more Massachusetts congressional races have also been called by the AP for Democrats: Lori Trahan was re-elected in the Third Congressional District, and Bill Keating was re-elected in the Ninth. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter; Sam Schulz, managing editor

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10:30 p.m.: “Are you (expletive) kidding me?! Are you (expletive) kidding me?!” someone at the MassDems event shouted as CNN called the South Carolina Senate race for the Democrat, Annie Andrews. The New York Times has also called the race. — Chris Lisinski, senior reporter

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10:25 p.m.: A triumphant Gov. Maura Healey, reelected for a second term, addressed cheering supporters in Boston.

“I have an obligation, a responsibility, to get up every day and to drive change with urgency in action," she said. "I may not get it right every time. You may disagree with some of the things I make, the decisions that I make, and you should. But I promise you this: I'm going to work my hardest every single day for the things that matter in your lives, to show up, to deliver, and to stand up when you need it most.”

Healey holds the state’s highest executive office during a time of soaring costs and a pervasive sense of instability.

In her victory speech, the governor acknowledged the need to bring down energy, health care, and housing costs. But she also highlighted the summer of the World Cup and the country’s 250^th anniversary.

“Tonight, you chose the kind of state we want to be,” she said. “A state and a place where everyone can live free and safe in their communities, where diversity is a strength, not a flaw, where families can thrive, and where there's no better place to raise a child.” — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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10:18 p.m. update: Minogue took the stage a little before 10 p.m., telling the crowd he called Healey to concede. “We knew it would be uphill,” Minogue told the crowd, noting an incumbent governor hasn’t been ousted in 52 years. “We have nothing other than gratitude.” A few people shouted “2030” as Minogue spoke. — Laura Colarusso, editor

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10:04 p.m. update: In New Hampshire, a perennial battleground House seat just flipped back to Democrats. In the 1^st Congressional District, Stefany Shaheen, the Democratic daughter of retiring Democratic US senator Jeanne Shaheen, defeated Republican Anthony DiLorenzo, according to the Associated Press. The seat is being vacated by Chris Pappas — now New Hampshire's senator-elect. — Sam Schulz, managing editor

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9:55 p.m.: In remarks to a crowd gathered in Boston, freshly re-elected US Sen. Ed Markey said he had just spoken to his opponent John Deaton.

Deaton “pledged his support in helping come together for the country we all love, and I look forward to working with him to do the best for our Commonwealth and our nation,” Markey said. The Democrats elected to statewide office Tuesday night, especially Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, he said, are “the best team in the world, the examples that the rest of the nation looks to and follows.”

He positioned the next few years as a time of forceful pushback to Medicaid cuts, to ICE, to data centers that communities reject, and to election interference.

“Tonight we say no more,” he said. “When Republicans gash holes in our social safety net, we will be the ones to mend the fabric whole again. When they undermine our democratic institutions, we will uphold the rule of law. And when they try to silence those who speak out against them ... we will meet them in the streets, and we will bring a soapbox and a bullhorn and a box of receipts, and we will win.” — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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9:40 p.m.: So far, it's a good night for Black gubernatorial candidates in the South. Byron Donalds, a Republican, became the first Black person elected governor of Florida, and just to its north, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, is the first Black woman elected governor of Georgia, according to the AP.

US Rep. Ayanna Pressley congratulated Stacey Plaskett, who was elected governor of the US Virgin Islands, just after polls closed. “When more Black women lead, everyone who calls our country home benefits,” Pressley wrote on X. “Congratulations, sister!” — Sam Schulz, managing editor; Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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9:27 p.m.: Statewide winners are well into their victory laps, but we’re still not particularly close to any conclusions on the nine ballot measures. AP vote tallies for each are still hovering around 5 percent of total ballots cast almost an hour and a half after polls closed, according to my last check. That’s not too surprising — sometimes, we don’t get definitive calls on ballot questions until Wednesday morning. — Chris Lisinski, senior reporter

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9:18 p.m.: Alison Mitchell, a Cambridge resident, and Brigid Black, who lives in Somerville, are self-described “super-voters” who never miss an election. But outside a Somerville polling place Tuesday evening, they both acknowledged the unique challenge the nine statewide measures on this year’s ballot posed.

“I went in to vote with a list of how I felt about all the ballot questions, because some of them are challenging,” Mitchell acknowledged. Black said she was especially motivated to vote in favor of Question 7 in hopes of getting more housing built in Somerville. —Sam Schulz, managing editor

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9:00 p.m.: There are two major themes showing up in these early results, as most expected: affordability and Donald Trump. Governors like Healey, who made names for themselves as combatants during Trump’s first presidential term, are being touted by their fellow Democratic governors for their pushback against the Trump administration. Others are being praised primarily for prioritizing their states’ economic health.

The Democratic Governors Association congratulated fellow New Englander Helena Foulkes, who was elected governor of Rhode Island after a previous unsuccessful run. The governors’ group said Foulkes has the “focus, experience, and vision to build a stronger, more affordable future for the state.” — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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8:40 p.m.: After announcing that Minogue would be speaking soon, a campaign staffer told everyone to hang tight as they want every vote counted. — Laura Colarusso, editor

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8:40 p.m.: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who chairs the Democratic Governors’ Association, cheered Gov. Healey’s re-election:

“Since taking office, Governor Healey has been a relentless fighter for the people of her state — cutting taxes for the first time in 20 years, capping health care co-pays, and building 100,000 homes to bring down housing costs,” he said in a statement. “She has helped lead Massachusetts and the entire country in fighting back against Donald Trump’s attacks on jobs, health care, SNAP, cancer research, and Americans’ reproductive rights.” — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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8:30 p.m.: The Associated Press calls the New Hampshire Senate race: Chris Pappas, a Democrat, defeats former Sen. John Sununu, who was hoping to win back his old seat. Another New England seat stayed in Democratic hands, per the AP: US Sen. John Reed of Rhode Island won re-election.

In North Carolina, former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, has flipped the first Senate seat of the night for his own party. — Sam Schulz, managing editor; Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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8:20 p.m. update: As 8 p.m. ticks by and the polls close in Massachusetts, a wave of quick calls from the Associated Press. Gov. Maura Healey has defeated Mike Minogue. US Reps. Jim McGovern, Katherine Clark, and Ayanna Pressley had been running unopposed, and sailed back into office. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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8:04 p.m.: Fox News is turned on and declares Sen. Jon Ossoff the winner in Georgia to boos from the crowd. Fox News calls the Massachusetts governor’s race for Healey at 8:04 p.m. to more loud boos. The crowd, perhaps expecting the result, goes back to what it was doing before: partying but with a little less dancing. — Laura Colarusso, editor

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8:04 p.m.: US Sen. Ed Markey has survived once more to keep his seat as the state’s junior senator. After fending off his second consecutive primary challenge — again from a member of his own delegation, though this time it was US Rep. Seth Moulton — Markey made it through the general by besting Republican John Deaton. Deaton, a personal injury attorney and cryptocurrency booster, tried and failed to unseat Markey’s fellow US Sen. Elizabeth Warren just two years ago.

At the Democrats’ celebration in Boston, a small smattering of cheers erupted as CNN called the race for Markey at 8 p.m. on the dot. — Jennifer Smith and Chris Lisinski, senior reporters

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8:00 p.m.: The hundreds of Mike Minogue supporters gathered at the Marriott in Burlington are in a jubilant mood. Chants of “USA” filled the room as the national anthem was sung. “Eye of the Tiger” blasts from the sound system as Minogue’s supporters mingle and wait for their candidate to appear.— Laura Colarusso, editor

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7:53 p.m.: Polls in Massachusetts close in less than 10 minutes. We’re on scene at the state Democratic election night party, where organizers and supporters are starting to trickle in. — Jordan Wolman, senior reporter

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7:45 p.m.: A steady stream of voters filed into and out of the polling station at the George Dilboy VFW Post 149 in Somerville on Tuesday evening.

Michelle Jiang, 32, a Democrat, admitted she was feeling “a little nervous” about the midterms nationwide just after casting her own vote there. But on her own ballot, the nine state questions on “very local issues” were her top priority.

“When there’s something like nine initiatives, it can get very easy to get lost in the sauce, which is rough,” she said. But she was especially interested in “a few that are pretty important” — Questions 3 (she voted no), 4 (yes) and 7 (yes).

“We have a scarcity of housing, and it feels really important to start trying to move the needle on that,” she said, referring to Question 7. —Sam Schulz, managing editor

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7:00 p.m.: About an hour until polls close (8 p.m. EST, but anyone still in line then can still vote). We’ll be back with dispatches from election night events and ready to break down results as they come in! — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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6:45 p.m.: It could be a long night and even a few days before control of Congress is settled. Republicans currently control 53 seats in the Senate, and two key Senate battleground states, Alaska and Maine, use ranked choice voting for their races, which can slow the final results. Working through mail ballots dropped off on Election Day can take days in populous states like California.

So expect the marquee Massachusetts races to be called on the early end — Democrats are planning for post-election speeches to begin within half an hour of polls closing — but whether the Bay Staters will be in the majority party could be a waiting game. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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6:30 p.m.: All six of the state’s constitutional officers are facing general election challengers: governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, and treasurer. But some of the stranger twists have come from the top of the state’s Republican ticket.

Though Republican lieutenant gubernatorial candidate and New Bedford City Councilor Shawn Oliver suspended his campaign after being arrested in mid-October on a drunk-driving charge, he remains on the printed ballots. Minogue has said he plans to govern without a lieutenant governor should he win election — an unusual move but not without precedent.

A super PAC supporting Minogue has pointed a startling amount of firepower at the independent candidate for governor, Andrea James, calling her the “Massachusetts Mamdani” and a “do-everything socialist.” The strategy, elections watchers speculate, is to draw potential Healey support from the left toward the independent, who is currently polling in the single digits. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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6:15 p.m.: It’s no secret that affordability concerns are high on voters’ minds around the country, and that’s especially true here in Massachusetts, too.

In theory, it’s a clear potential vulnerability for Gov. Maura Healey. In a CommonWealth Beacon/MassINC Polling Group survey in September, nearly six in 10 voters cited the state's overall cost of living as an issue the governor has been least successful in addressing — far more than any other.

Yet all indications are that Healey won’t pay a political price for that dissatisfaction at the ballot box today as she maintains 20-point leads over GOP challenger Mike Minogue in most polls. — Jordan Wolman, senior reporter

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6:00 p.m.: The open US Senate seat in New Hampshire features a tight race to replace retiring incumbent Democratic US Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. US Rep. Chris Pappas, the Democrat, was leading Republican former US Sen. John E. Sununu 54 percent to 48 percent in the Granite State Poll released Sunday.

New Hampshire voters generally told pollsters that affordability is top of mind, but a fifth of Democrats said the most important issue in the 2026 election was stopping President Donald Trump and his agenda. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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5:45 p.m.: For all its ballot measures and high-profile electeds, Massachusetts isn’t drawing the most eyes in New England today. One of the US Senate races determining control of the upper chamber is consuming our northern neighbor Maine.

I happened to be in the Portland area last week, and get-out-the-vote efforts were everywhere, along with a kaleidoscope of campaign signs. Ride-share drivers and restaurant servers were all abuzz about the race, and my web browser valiantly powered through the slew of geo-targeted ads from incumbent US Sen. Susan Collins, who is hoping to fend off a challenge from Democrat Troy Jackson.

Collins tends to outperform her polls, but Jackson held a steady lead between 5 and 9 points in the final surveys of Maine voters. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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5:30 p.m.: Those nine ballot questions might be having an effect on how smoothly voting is going here and there.

Secretary of State William Galvin, the top elections official, said his office has gotten some anecdotal reports of “longer wait times for voters depositing their ballot in the ballot box,” which he attributed both to high turnout and to the length of the ballots. “While these longer wait times are not widespread, I ask that voters be patient if there is a line to cast their ballot,” Galvin said. “Local election officials are making every effort to expedite voters through the process.”

Ballots total at least three cards (the technical term for pages) in most communities because of the nine questions and summaries that must be printed. In some areas with multilingual printing requirements, the package is even larger. The secretary reminded voters: As long as you’re in line by the time polls close at 8 pm, you’ll be able to cast a ballot. —Chris Lisinski, senior reporter

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5:15 p.m.: Massachusetts has long punched above its size in congressional clout, and its suite of incumbents is champing at the bit to get back into power if Democrats flip the House and possibly the Senate.

US Rep. Katherine Clark, currently the House minority whip, is poised to become the first woman to be majority leader if her party regains the House. US Reps. Richard Neal and Jim McGovern are likely to reclaim their respective seats chairing the influential Ways and Means Committee and the Rules Committee.

And if all the key states go blue, Massachusetts senators are eager to have access to chairmanships and subpoena power. US Sen. Ed Markey, fresh off besting his latest challenge from inside the state’s congressional delegation, has touted his likely rise to chair of the Senate Small Business Committee and US Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s to chair the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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5:00 p.m.: Energy issues have dominated the conversation around affordability in the Bay State and dogged Gov. Maura Healey throughout much of her four years in office. In fact, residents named energy affordability the top household concern in a survey conducted by business groups last winter.

Bay Staters are rightly outraged at their gas and electric bills. Even though New England is home to historically higher-than-average prices, average household utility bills in Massachusetts are up 38 percent since 2020, and the state ranks fourth-worst for energy insecurity for low-income customers. And with heating oil up 70 percent compared to this time last year, the pain is only going to climb as temperatures soon drop.

Yet Healey, by and large, has evaded political blame. A CommonWealth Beacon/MassINC Polling Group survey conducted in September found that 32 percent of likely voters pinned the most blame on President Trump — whose tariffs, war in Iran, and attacks on renewable energy projects have upended energy markets — compared to 13 percent of voters who believe Healey is most to blame for high energy costs. — Jordan Wolman, senior reporter

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4:45 p.m.: Bain bucks continue to flow toward the campaign to reshape primary elections. The group pushing Question 3, which would replace separate Democratic and Republican primaries with a single all-party primary, brought in at least another $155,000 in donations late last week, new disclosures show.

The latest haul features $100,000 from Joshua Bekenstein and $50,000 from David Gross, both of whom work at Bain Capital. Private equity backers have come out in force for the measure, collectively contributing millions of dollars toward a proposal that experts say could benefit more moderate candidates. Some of those donors, Bekenstein included, previously steered large donations toward a national PAC that supported similar ballot campaigns in other states. — Chris Lisinski, senior reporter

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4:30 p.m.: We're hours away from results for the nine ballot questions. The polls suggest Questions 2-7 could see any combination of results. There were three polls that used basically similar methods of asking the questions. Here are the percentages of voters in each poll who said they would vote “yes.”

Quick reminder: The “yes” percentage has historically been much more predictive of whether a measure will pass than the margin by which “yes” or “no” leads. — Steve Koczela, president of the MassINC Polling Group (part of the same organization that publishes CommonWealth Beacon)

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4:00 p.m.: While the Massachusetts congressional delegation looks almost certain to keep its completely Democratic bench, a shift in the national map could have major consequences for the state.

Our famed “meds and eds” economy has been rocked by research funding cuts and an intense focus on undercutting diversity initiatives at higher educational institutions during President Trump’s second term. Experts and state officials have been alarmed by the impact of tightened immigration restrictions and increased enforcement actions on the state’s workforce and international student population. Trade wars and tariffs levied against partner countries like Canada, Beacon Hill leaders note, are worsening materials costs when it is already expensive to build new housing. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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3:30 p.m.: The US Department of Justice is engaged in what it calls “its largest monitoring effort in history,” deploying more than 1,000 federal election observers across the country, including in Boston and Lowell.

Election monitors were present in both cities during the September primary. Ahead of Tuesday’s election, Secretary of State Bill Galvin said election monitoring is "nothing new. It has happened under every administration."

He expected a smooth day of working with federal monitors in Boston and Lowell. But Galvin said he understands voters’ concerns.

" First of all, the statements that have been coming out of the Trump White House, but more importantly, the actions of the Justice Department that in many cases seem to be hostile to the rights of voters, and certainly to those of us in Massachusetts and other jurisdictions like us," he said. "I mean, that's not imaginary." — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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3:15 p.m.: Senior reporter Jordan Wolman, who is covering the head-to-head general election races this evening, said he is keeping an eye on the margins:

Republicans have seen big gains in places like Lawrence and along the South Coast in Bristol County. In 2020, President Biden beat President Trump in Lawrence by nearly 50 points; four years later, Trump lost that city by just 17 points. In Bristol County, Democrats won by 12 points in 2020, but only eked out a 1-point win in 2024 and actually narrowly lost Fall River to Trump.

Democrats are hoping to channel what they think will be a blue wave around the country to reverse GOP gains in places like Lawrence and Bristol County. If that happens, it could show that those areas are less of a crystal ball of the future political direction of Massachusetts and more an indicator of the current moment.  — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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3:00 p.m.: Massachusetts voters, by and large, hold the president in very low esteem. A CommonWealth Beacon/MassINC Polling Group poll this fall found only 25 percent of Bay State likely voters view the president favorably, while 67 percent see him unfavorably.

That dynamic is making a tough state for Republicans even tougher. Gov. Maura Healey has eagerly tied her opponent — GOP megadonor and former Abiomed executive Mike Minogue — to the president, blaming the White House for the worsening cost-of-living crisis in the state. The sitting governor holds a 22-point lead in the polls. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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2:30 p.m.: Nationally, the polls heading into Tuesday show a very favorable map for Democrats. President Donald Trump is brushing against career-low approval ratings, and his party trails Democrats on the generic ballot by about 8 percentage points.

“A bunch of metrics point in the direction of a really special environment that they're in politically,” Chris Borick, a professor of political science at Lehigh University and director of Lehigh’s Opinion Observatory, said on The Codcast this week. For Republicans, he said, “it's a toxic environment.” — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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2:15 p.m.: Massachusetts early voting patterns seem to be transcending demographic categories, with one notable exception.

“The one that’s the best fit is education,” said MassINC Polling Group Vice President Rich Parr. “The more educated voters are in a given town, the most likely they were to use early voting.” MassINC Polling Group is part of the same organization that publishes CommonWealth Beacon.— Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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2:00 p.m.: Secretary of State Bill Galvin, who is on the ballot himself and is championing ballot Question 4 on Election Day registration, declined to predict turnout this week.

“Now the national atmosphere is intensified, but are voters thinking in other directions?” Galvin said, comparing the current election to midterms in 2018 and 2022. “Are they frustrated? I don’t know. I wish I could say, ‘This is the number and that’s what’s going to be.’ I can’t be that confident.”

Ahead of Tuesday’s election where control of Congress is up for grabs, Galvin told reporters he thinks the election has become “a referendum on the economy, the direction of our nation and in fact the direction of the world.” — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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1:15 p.m.: The Gateway Cities are lagging the state in early voting, said MassINC Polling Group Vice President Rich Parr, “which makes sense because they lag in overall turnout as well.”

CommonWealth Beacon’s Gateway Cities reporter, Hallie Claflin, said she’ll be keeping an eye on turnout in the 26 cities:

I’ll be watching turnout closely on election night, especially in low-income cities like Lawrence, where both the mayor and a state representative were arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering this summer. Voter registration reports filed by Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office show that more than 50,000 people are registered to vote in Lawrence this election, the highest that number has been in well over a decade. Will Lawrence residents skip the polls today, or are voters fed up with the status quo and feeling more empowered than ever to make their voices heard this election cycle? We will soon find out. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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1:00 p.m.: Early voting trends can offer some cues nationally, said MassINC Polling Group Vice President Rich Parr. Democrats tend to outperform Republicans on early voting, so the question is whether Republicans can make up the gap.

In Massachusetts, the partisan spread in early voting isn’t always informative because the races tend to be so lopsidedly Democrat, he noted. Overall, early voting in the Bay State is pretty close to the levels in 2022, Parr said — around 1.1 million early votes, or about a fifth of registered voters. MassINC Polling Group is part of the same organization that publishes CommonWealth Beacon.

“The composition of it is changing, but it’s not necessarily that more people are doing it,” Parr said of early voting in the state. In-person early voting is up by about 84 percent compared to the 2022 midterms, and mail-in early voting is down about 4 percent. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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12:45 p.m.: Most of the nine questions are near coin-flips based on the polling. Voters are leaning toward close but comfortable yeses on Question 2 and Question 4, which would respectively let employees of the state public defender agency unionize and usher in Election Day voter registration.

The rest are hovering around or below 50 percent support, which pollsters find is a dangerous place to be heading into the election. These include the politically fraught efforts to move state primaries to an all-party system through Question 3 and Question 5’s esoteric but meaningful play to adjust the way a state tax cap law triggers refunds to taxpayers. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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12:30 p.m.: Two efforts to roll back existing laws look like they are in serious trouble at the booth. Question 8 would dismantle the state’s recreational cannabis industry and Question 9 would repeal a recently passed firearms law.

The bid to undo the recreational cannabis law approved by ballot measure just 10 years ago is now the most expensive question of the cycle, with almost all of the money behind the effort coming from SAM Action Inc., a Virginia-based nonprofit that exists primarily to oppose the recreational marijuana industry. Polling heading into Election Day found residents deeply skeptical about the measure, with support stuck in the low 30s at best.

Nor do they seem eager to toss the sweeping 2024 firearms law, which expanded restrictions on who can carry what firearms, and where. This is a repeal referendum, which means a “no” vote repeals the law, and polled support for the repeal has been hovering around the same level as undoing the recreational cannabis system: 31 percent or lower. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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11:45 a.m.: The ballot question that looks most likely to become law (with all the caveats that nothing is over until it’s over) is Question 1, which would make the Legislature and governor’s office subject to public records law. Polling throughout the fall found a healthy majority (between 63 and 84 percent depending on the poll) of respondents expected to vote yes.

It is widely regarded as the heir to State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s ballot measure last cycle that explicitly authorized her to audit the Legislature, and is one of two measures where lawmakers have potential legislation queued up that could undercut it if the question passes. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter

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11:30 a.m.: With Election Day underway, it’s direct democracy pulling the most focus here in the Bay State. Voters are deciding the fate of nine ballot questions on policy areas ranging from an obscure tax cap law, to public records access, to zoning reform, to conservation funding.

If you’re still cramming for the ballot box test, we have you covered with a guide to all nine questions. — Jennifer Smith, senior reporter