Federal judge dismisses RNC lawsuit seeking to prevent GA voters from manually returning ballots

A federal judge has dismissed an RNC lawsuit seeking to block some Georgia counties from accepting ballots delivered by hand this weekend and Monday, according to Marc Elias, an attorney working for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.

Judge R. Stan Baker — who was appointed by former President Donald Trump — said the Republicans’ lawsuit “fails even the most basic level of legal scrutiny and reading comprehension,” Elias said.

Republicans had alleged that the seven Georgia counties that accepted hand-delivered ballots after the early voting period were breaking the law.

Americans will go to the polls on Tuesday to cast their votes in the historic election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Surveys leading up to Election Day showed the two candidates in a virtual dead heat nationally and in several key swing states.

Broad economic discontent, sharp divisions over the country’s future and polarized views on major party candidates highlight national voter attitudes in ABC News’ preliminary exit poll results.

The state of democracy was narrowly the most important issue for voters of the five tested in the exit poll.

READ MORE | Exit Polls 2024: Fear of American Democracy and Economic Discontent Drive Voters

The tumultuous presidential campaign included a replacement at the top of the Democratic ticket, two apparent assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump and the unexpected meaning of a joke made in the final days of the race.

Despite the twists and turns, voters have expressed a consistent priority: the economy is most important. A Gallup poll last month found that 52% of voters view the economy as an extremely important influence on their choice for president, far outweighing any other concern.

With polls closing in hours, ABC News spoke with experts to discuss where the economy stands at the end of the race.

Take a deep dive into the state of the economy on Election Day, in numbers here

READ MORE | In numbers: where the economy stands on election day

Vice President Kamala Harris will watch the results on election night at her alma mater Howard University in Washington, DC

ABC7 news anchor Julian Glover will be in attendance and reporting live from the watch party’s election night.

Howard University students from the Bay Area tell Glover they are excited, optimistic and proud. Read more here.

MORE | VP Harris holds election watch party at alma mater Howard University