It was nearly a dead heat between the two candidates in the days leading to the election. As of Sunday, Channel 2's Landmark Communications polls showed Ossoff leading Handel 49 percent to 48.9 percent. 

Ossoff and Handel emerged from a crowded field of 18 primary candidates in April, after Ossoff fell just shy of the 50 percent of the vote needed to capture the vacant seat. Handel garnered over 19 percent of the vote, beating out 10 other Republican candidates.

Candidates make final push 

As the election in the 6th Congressional District comes to a close, Republican candidate Karen Handel's team continues to say Republican turnout is the key to their victory.

The Handel camp, and the Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff’s people too, have been saying that for weeks now.

Channel 2’s Richard Elliot said early general wisdom is that Ossoff would do better with early voting and Handel could do better on the day of the special election, since most Republicans wait until election day to vote.

But Handel's campaign believes it has done a good job getting her supporters to the polls early.

Elliot was there as Handel went to her neighborhood polling place to cast her ballot around 10 a.m. Tuesday.

She couldn't help taking one last shot at her opponent, reminding reporters that while she could vote in this election, Ossoff could not, because he doesn't live in the district.

When asked about the national implications of this race, Handel said this is more about the people of the 6th District.

SPECIAL SECTION: The 6th District Race

“I think again, at the end of the day, it's about the voters, and the people who can come out and vote today, and the people of the 6th District, are going to be looking for someone who's been a part of this community for nearly 25 years,” Handel told Elliot.

The race is the most expensive congressional race in U.S. history, and the national and international press coverage over the past couple of weeks has been intense.

Channel 2’s Carl Willis was with Ossoff as he visited his field office in Sandy Springs on Tuesday.

He pumped up his team one last time and lobbed some criticism at his opponent.

Ossoff posed for pictures and made the rounds with his team as they make the final push.

Willis asked Ossoff if he was concerned with the chance of interference in the high-stakes election and if he was worried that voters would somehow be blocked from casting their votes.

He told Willis he's confident in the state's electoral system but he also criticized Handel, who, when she previously served as secretary of state, started a program to purge voter rolls. That effort was later halted by the federal government.

"I would note that Secretary Handel, when she was secretary of state, showed negligence and lack of competence in responding to some of the concerns that were raised at that time, which, again, is consistent with her record of incompetence at the Komen foundation when she cut off funding for lifesaving breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood," Ossoff told Willis.

Polls across the 6th District close at 7 p.m., with the exception of two locations in DeKalb County that will close at 7:30 p.m.

Voters say polls remain clear, easy

Voters reported short lines or even no lines across the polls on Tuesday.

At one location at the St. James United Methodist Church in Alpharetta, voters said everything was clear and easy.

“Plenty of communication. It was easy to find, it was still close to my house so that was nice,” said voter Zach Hudson.

[DOWNLOAD: WSB-TV's news app for alerts on the results of the election]

A DeKalb County judge extended voting to 7:30 p.m. at Livsey Elementary School and Holy Cross Catholic School in Tucker after a morning equipment mix up.

Some residents turned away from polls

Some voters were turned away at the polls, they were told they did not live in the 6th District. Similar reports happened at the primary in April.

Elections office officials explained it to them and showed many a map of the district border, but some folks still left frustrated.

"I am. I am. And so are my fellow Americans right here. My Georgians. It just seems unfair, that even though we live in DeKalb County, we are disbarred,” said resident Patricia Beasley. I'm personally mad, and mad on behalf of my people right here. Because we all live in DeKalb County. We all pay taxes."

For most of the special Election Day, a steady stream of DeKalb County residents went in and out of the county elections office in Decatur without any issues.

Most people had already learned they did not live in District 6 so they could not vote.

But for a few voters, it was a repeat of what happened during the primary.

"If you knew from the last time you weren't eligible, you wouldn't come back because you're still not eligible. Although we have had a few who came out a second time. They said, 'I came out last time but I wanted to check.' Still the same," elections director Maxine Daniels told Petersen.

Channel 2 investigative reporter Aaron Diamant spoke one-on-one with Secretary of State Brian Kemp about maintaining the integrity of this super high-profile election.

"We've had a smooth day today, you know? A few little things here and there which you always have in elections," Kemp told Diamant.

Kemp said he is confident the safeguards in place are enough to ensure an accurate vote count.

And despite a predicted record turnout for a runoff election, Kemp said the dynamics of the election itself make it relatively easy to manage.

Strategists see this race as a test

Democrats across the country see Ossoff's candidacy as an opportunity to win back a seat in the Republican-dominated House. The 30-year-old documentary producer and former congressional aide hopes to mobilize anti-Trump sentiment seen in millennial voters, minorities and women. Handel, who formerly served as Georgia's secretary of state, seeks to maintain her party’s hold on the district's seat, which ranges back to 1979.

[ [VOTING LOCATION: Find your local voting location here] ]

Donors from across the country have shown an outpouring of support for Ossoff, with fundraising efforts totaling well over $20 million, not including an additional $6 million in donations from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Ossoff's campaign claims that their average contribution is $42.52. Over 95 percent of donations have come from outside Georgia -- a point of contention for Republicans.

Handel’s fundraising efforts pale in comparison, totaling at approximately $4.2 million. While individual donors may not have shown Ossoff level support for Handel, she has benefited from support from outside groups. Outside money from Super PACs and the National Republican Congressional Committee total at about $18.2 million in support of Handel, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Both candidates have expanded their efforts greatly since the April primary, at which time totals only amounted to $8 million for Ossoff and $476,000 for Handel.

President Donald Trump has been an active participant in the race, tweeting frequently in the run-up to April's primary and posting Tuesday to urge residents of the district, which encompasses parts of Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton counties, to vote for Handel.

CLICK HERE for complete coverage of the 6th District runoff!

Information from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Associated Press was used in this report.