Early exit polls - which can be wrong - have shown some encouraging signs for Jones, the Democrat.
Jones, for instance, needed strong turnout from African-American voters; in early exit polls, it appeared that
black turnout might be slightly higher than the levels in 2012 and 2008, when Barack Obama was on the ballot. African-Americans made up 28 percent of the electorate in 2008, and 29 percent in 2012. In this election, they make up about 3 in 10 Alabama voters so far on Election Day according to preliminary exit polls.
By contrast,
white evangelical voters seemed to make up a smaller percentage of the electorate this year than they had in past elections. That group made up just over 4 in 10 voters this year, compared with 47 percent of the state's electorate in both 2012 and 2008 presidential elections, according to Alabama exit polls.
"They're coming out," said Kim Payton, a city councilwoman in the town of Hayneville, Alabama - meaning black voters. Hayneville is located in the state's "black belt" - rural area named for its dark soils, which also has a strong contingent of African American voters.
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