ELECTION UPDATES | Missouri Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe announces transition plan

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Voters in Missouri and Kansas are learning the results of races and ballot questions from Tuesday's general election.

LINK | Get caught up with KSHB 41’s Election coverage

UPDATE, 2 p.m. | Missouri Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe held a news conference Wednesday afternoon from Jefferson City where he outlined his next steps for transitioning into the governor's office after defeating Democrat Crystal Quade Tuesday night.

Watch Kehoe's remarks in the video player below.

UPDATE, 1:30 p.m. | KSHB 41 News reporter Tod Palmer reports the group that formed in opposition of Amendment 2 will not seek a recount of the results despite the close margin.

UPDATE, 9 a.m. | Sports gambling is coming to the Show-Me State. Missouri voters passed Amendment 2 on Wednesday with 50.1% of the vote, according to unofficial election results.

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UPDATE, 8:02 a.m. | Proposition A passed overnight, increasing the minimum wage in Missouri. KSHB 41's Marlon Martinez breaks down what that means for the state.

UPDATE, 7:48 a.m. | KSHB 41's Claire Bradshaw describes what's next for Missouri after voters approved Amendment 3, which overturned a near-total ban on abortions in the state.

UPDATE, 7:30 a.m. | KSHB 41's Olivia Acree breaks down Republican incumbent Josh Hawley's win against Democrat Lucas Kunce for U.S. Senate.

UPDATE, 6:45 a.m. | Dr. Beth Vonnahme - Political Science Professor at UMKC shares her expertise on the election and voting trends.

UPDATE, 12:31 a.m. | Decision Desk HQ projects Donald Trump has enough electoral votes to win the presidency.

UPDATE, 10:45 p.m. | Democrat Melesa Johnson defeated Republican Tracey Chappell by a wide margin to become the first Black woman to serve as Jackson County prosecutor.

UPDATE,10:27 p.m. | The Associated Press reports Amendment 3, which clears the way for Missouri's near-total ban on abortion to be overturned, has passed.

UPDATE, 9:50 p.m. | Republican Rep. Sam Graves, who will continue to serve Missouri's 6th District, provided a statement on his reelection.

UPDATE, 9:43 p.m. | Johnson County's unofficial election results list Byron Roberson (sheriff) and Steve Howe (district attorney) as the winners of their respective races.

UPDATE, 9:34 p.m. | The Associated Press reports Republican incumbent Josh Hawley will retain his Senate seat as he has defeated Democrat Lucas Kunce.

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UPDATE, 9:23 p.m. | Congressman Mark Alford released a statement thanking Missourians after winning re-election.

UPDATE, 9:10 p.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas offered a statement after the news of Mike Kehoe winning the state's gubernatorial race.

UPDATE, 9:04 p.m. | Decision Desk HQ reports Democratic incumbent Sharice Davids has won Kansas' 3rd Congressional District over Republican Prasanth Reddy.

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UPDATE, 8:49 p.m. | The Associated Press reports Mike Kehoe has won the Missouri governor race.

UPDATE, 8:21 p.m. | Unofficial results for Wyandotte County are in.

Voters approved a bond for the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools district.

KSHB 41's Rachel Henderson previously reported on the need for the bond.

UPDATE, 8:07 p.m. | Missouri U.S. Rep Mark Alford addressed his supporters after retaining his U.S. House seat.

UPDATE, 8:05 p.m. | Decision Desk HQ reports Donald Trump will win Kansas.

UPDATE, 8 p.m. | Johnson County, Kansas, reports 248,323 advance ballots were cast.

UPDATE, 7:55 p.m. | Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly spoke at Rep. Sharice Davids' watch party as she seeks another term in Kansas' 3rd Congressional District.

KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne said the governor spoke to the crowd about taking the Kansas Legislature back from Republicans.

UPDATE, 7:40 p.m. | Reporter Alyssa Jackson spotted Tracey Chappell, Republican candidate for Jackson County prosecutor, arriving at her watch party in downtown KCMO.

UPDATE, 7:18 p.m. | Decision Desk HQ reports Mark Alford, Emanuel Cleaver II and Sam Graves retained their U.S. House district seats.

UPDATE, 7:15 p.m. | NBC and Decision Desk HQ project Donald Trump has won Missouri.

UPDATE, 7:00 p.m. | Polls have closed in Kansas and Missouri for Tuesday's general election.

Stay with KSHB 41 throughout the night for results on key races.

UPDATE, 6:45 p.m. | KSHB 41's Rachel Henderson and Abby Dodge checked in from the watch parties of Senate candidates Lucas Kunce and Josh Hawley.

UPDATE, 6:14 p.m. | Missourians will decide whether or not to raise minimum wage in the state. KSHB 41's Caroline Hogan previewed the issue before polls closed.

UPDATE, 6:12 p.m. | An hour before polls closed, KSHB 41's Lily O'Shea Becker caught up with voters casting their ballot in Lee's Summit.

UPDATE, 6:11 p.m. | Missourians will decide on abortion rights during Tuesday night's general election.

KSHB 41's Sarah Plake and JuYeon Kim spoke with both supporters and opponents of Amendment 3 ahead of the election.

UPDATE, 5:55 p.m. | Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt will join former President Donald Trump at Trump's watch party in Palm Beach, Florida, Tuesday night.

Schmitt spoke with KSHB 41 News before attending the party.

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The Republican senator spent time on the campaign trail with Trump and vice presidential candidate JD Vance. Schmitt said Trump is upbeat and energetic, saying Trump "didn't want to leave anything in the tank."

Schmitt thinks Trump's question to voters on whether they're better off than four years ago will propel Trump to victory this year.

UPDATE, 5:50 p.m. | KSHB 41's Megan Abundis said remarks are expected from gubernatorial candidate Mike Kehoe shortly after his watch party kicks off at 7 p.m.

UPDATE, 5:45 p.m. | Political reporter Charlie Keegan will be at the touchscreen throughout the night to highlight key race updates locally and nationally.

UPDATE, 5:39 p.m. | KSHB 41's Tod Palmer has been covering Missouri Amendment 2.

If voters approve the amendment, sports gambling will be legal in the state.

UPDATE, 5:32 p.m. | KSHB 41's Ryan Gamboa is with the Prasanth Reddy campaign tonight in Johnson County.

Reddy, a Republican, is trying to win the 3rd District U.S. House seat held by Democrat incumbent Sharice Davids.

UPDATE, 5:37 p.m. | KSHB 41's Isabella Ledonne is with the Sharice Davids campaign tonight.

Davids, a Democrat, is the incumbent in the 3rd District U.S. House seat. Ledonne spoke with Davids Tuesday evening.

UPDATE, 5:22 p.m. | KSHB 41's Megan Abundis and Elyse Schoenig are live in Jefferson City and Springfield to cover the Missouri gubernatorial race.

Mike Kehoe and Crystal Quade look to become Missouri's 58th governor.

We spoke with both candidates ahead of the election where they made their pitch to voters.

UPDATE, 5:15 p.m. | Poll workers at the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center told KSHB 41's Jessica McMaster the voting location has seen very few lines on Election Day.

Johnson County Election Commissioner Fred Sherman explained he believes the short lines were the result of many opting to vote early.

UPDATE, 4:50 p.m. | Missouri's gubernatorial candidates cast their votes on Election Day.

Republican Mike Kehoe

Democrat Crystal Quade

UPDATE, 4:45 p.m. | KSHB 41's Caroline Hogan will be providing coverage throughout the evening from Uptown Theater on Proposition A, which would increase Missouri's minimum wage and provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.

UPDATE, 4:35 p.m. | The Johnson County Election Office reported on its website that 209,305 county residents voted early.

More voters chose to cast advance ballots at the Arts and Heritage Center and Hilltop Conference Center than any other advance voting location.

The biggest day for advance voting was Friday, Nov. 1, when 19,876 voters marked their ballots.

UPDATE, 4:16 p.m. | KSHB 41's Lily O'Shea Becker spoke with voters in Lee's Summit who reported no issues while voting.

"It was very straightforward and easy — everyone was friendly, it was a nice vibe," one voter said.

UPDATE, 4:15 p.m. | KSHB 41's Charlie Keegan broke down what impact Kansas and Missouri voters could have on the presidential race.

UPDATE, 3:33 p.m. | KSHB 41's Rachel Henderson is at IBEW Local Union 124, where Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Lucas Kunce is set to host a watch party beginning at 7 p.m.

UPDATE, 3:14 p.m. | Johnson County election officials said they expect a first round of results to be released about 7:30 p.m.

UPDATE, 2:55 p.m. | Heading to the polls after work? KSHB 41 Weather meteorologist Cassie Wilson details what the next few hours will be like.

UPDATE, 2:30 p.m | Jackson County, Missouri, voter Eric Phillips said voting Tuesday was made easy thanks to a quick process and that he doesn’t live too far from his polling place.

Phillips, like many voters, isn’t quite sure when all the results will come in nationally, but recognizes the significance of the election.

“I feel like it’s historic,” Phillips said. “No matter who wins, it’s going to be historic either way, so I just want to be a part of it.”

Jonathan Goede/KSHB

UPDATE, 2 p.m. | Many Missouri-side voters took to early voting locations over the last several days looking to beat the lines of election day, only to wait hours in line to vote early.

Lee Johnson was one of those who was out of town the last few weeks and took his chances voting on election day.

“It was as smooth as it has ever been,” Johnson said. “I’m OK with whatever happens, I really am. I’m just glad it’s over for everybody and for our country, I hope we can figure out a way to be friends again and move on.”

Jonathan Goede/KSHB

UPDATE, 1:30 p.m. | Earlier today, KSHB 41 News reporter Lily O’Shea Becker and photographer Jonathan Goede spoke with voters outside a polling place in Lee’s Summit.

They found several voters who had just cast their ballots, including Linda Waszil.

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Now Linda and others wait for the votes to be counted.

Was Linda nervous?

“A little bit, but I’ll try to do what I do every evening, just maybe go run or just do things around the house and just keep an eye on it but not be obsessed with it,” Linda said. “I’ll just be patient and let the process do what it does.”

UPDATE, 12:40 p.m. | We've been keeping tabs on any election issues across the area today and so far haven't come across any reports, which is good news.

While Missouri has several high-profile results to monitor tonight, Kansas is at a different point in its electoral cycle with fewer statewide races this year.

But the battle for U.S. House District 3 between incumbent Democrat Sharice Davids and Republican challenger Prasanth Reddy is worth watching.

Last week, KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne sat down with Davids and reporter Ryan Gamboa sat down with Reddy to learn more about the candidates.

UPDATE, Noon | We’re now seven hours from polls closing in Missouri and Kansas.

One of the races we’re watching closely tonight isn’t between candidates but Missouri’s Amendment 3.

Earlier this month, KSHB 41 News anchor Sarah Plake did a fact check around the amendment.

On Monday, KSHB 41 News reporter Elyse Schoenig did a deep dive previewing the amendment.

UPDATE, 11:30 a.m. | While it's been a soggy few days in the Kansas City area, it's no comparison to other parts of the state.

Heavy rains have left several communities in south central Missouri and the St. Louis area dealing with flooded roadways.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft says voters who can't get to their assigned polling place can still make it to their county election office to cast a ballot.

UPDATE, 11:05 a.m. | One of the key themes in this year’s election was the number of early votes cast in person.

An example from Johnson County, Kansas: After 14 days of early voting starting Oct. 19, 209,305 voters cast their ballot.

That far exceeds advance, in-person early voting from the 2020 and 2016 presidential election years.

Heading into election day, 43.7 percent of the county’s 478,877 registered voters had cast their votes.

UPDATE, 10:30 a.m. | The Johnson County Election Office is reminding voters to make sure their mail-in ballot is either post-marked by today or better yet, dropped off in-person at several different locations.

UPDATE, 10 a.m. | Here’s something you don’t see every day.

University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Science and Engineering professor Mujahid Abdulrahim and three students recently took to the skies above Kansas City for an appropriately timed flight plan!

UPDATE, 9:40 a.m. | Here's an interesting tidbit from Clay County. Incumbent Sheriff Will Akin is technically up for re-election, though because he is running unopposed, the county's charter allows the race not to appear on the ballot.

UPDATE, 9 a.m. | KSHB 41 News anchor Rae Daniel reports a wait time to vote as less than 20 minutes at her polling location.

UPDATE, 8:30 a.m. | KSHB 41 News anchor Rae Daniel spoke this morning with first-time voter Alex Clayton about what the experience means for him.

UPDATE, 8 a.m. | KSHB 41 News Reporter Olivia Acree says early this morning in Johnson County voters were in and out quickly.

UPDATE, 7 a.m. | KSHB 41 News Reporter Grant Stephens says a large group of early voters cast their ballots at the United Church of Christ in Kansas City this morning.

UPDATE, 6:11 a.m. | KSHB 41 News Reporter Claire Bradshaw says it took about 8 minutes for the first voter in line to cast their ballot.

UPDATE, 6:00 a.m. | Polls are now open in Missouri and in Johnson County, KS.

UPDATE, 5:55 a.m. |KSHB 41 News Reporter Marlon Martinez says the line is growing at the Arts & Heritage Center in Overland Park.

UPDATE, 5:50 a.m. | KSHB 41 News Reporter Claire Bradshaw reports dozens of people in line to vote at the Lee's Summit Christian Church.

UPDATE, 5:45 a.m. | KSHB 41 News Reporter Marlon Martinez reports a few people in line at the Arts & Heritage Center in Overland Park to vote.

UPDATE, 5:30 a.m. | KSHB 41 News Reporter Claire Bradshaw reports at least 75 people in line at the Lee's Summit Christian Church to vote.

UPDATE, 5:25 a.m. | KSHB 41 news anchor Lindsay Shively is at the Kansas City United Church of Christ, a polling location in KCMO, where voters are lining up.

Coverage timeline:

Join KSHB 41 News for Election Day updates at 11 a.m. on KSHB 41 and noon on 38 The Spot/KMCI.

We continue our local coverage on KSHB 41 from 4-5:30 p.m. when NBC News starts its coverage with Nightly News.

At 6 p.m., join KSHB 41 on your smartphone, smartTV or computer for a special streaming-only edition of KSHB 41 News, focusing on the latest local election information.

Stay with KSHB.com, and the KSHB 41 app for smartphones and SmartTVs for the latest election results and reactions throughout the night.

You can get live streaming updates at 8 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. You can also get the latest election news on our streaming platforms from Scripps News throughout the night.

We’ll be back on KSHB 41 with election night special coverage at 10 p.m., focused on local results from Kansas and Missouri.

We’ll rejoin NBC News’ coverage of the election at 10:30 p.m.

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