Super Tuesday results | Romney beats Santorum in Ohio

The counting is getting under way for Super Tuesday, with voters deciding how 419 Republican delegates will be divided among Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul.

Here's ajc.com's minute-by-minute coverage this evening's Super Tuesday results:

12:59 a.m.: After a protracted late-night Super Tuesday slugfest, Romney is declared the winner in the Ohio GOP primary.

12:02 a.m. Wednesday: With Ohio and Alaska still undecided, the count so far in the GOP Super Tuesday primary: Idaho, Virginia, Vermont and Massachusetts for Mitt Romney; North Dakota, Oklahoma and Tennessee for Rick Santorum; Georgia for Newt Gingrich; no state for Ron Paul.

Midnight: Voting comes to an end in Alaska, the last Super Tuesday state.

11:52 p.m.: With 92 percent of Ohio precincts reporting, political blogger Jamie Dupree says  Romney is maintaining  a 6,000-plus vote lead over Santorum.

11:42 p.m.: With all of the precincts reporting, Atlantans overwhelmingly approve renewing a penny municipal option sales tax for water and sewer upgrades for another four years.

11:35 p.m.: As the battle rages in Ohio, CNN declares Romney the winner in Idaho.

11:30 p.m.: According to political blogger Jamie Dupree, with 90 percent of the Ohio vote in, Romney leads by 5,400 votes, and it's hard to see how Santorum can turn that around.

11:25 p.m.: Unincorporated Gwinnett County says "yes" to Sunday alcohol sales.

11:18 p.m.: Marietta in Cobb County says "yes" to Sunday alcohol sales.

11:17 p.m.: Unincorporated Cobb County says "yes" to Sunday alcohol sales.

11:15 p.m.: After catching Santorum, Romney's lead quickly growing -- now 6,000 votes, according to political blogger Jamie Dupree.

11:10 p.m.: Unincorporated Forsyth County says "yes" to Sunday alcohol sales.

10:51 p.m.: Powder Springs in Cobb County says "yes" to Sunday alcohol sales.

10:44 p.m.: With 84 percent of Ohio precincts reporting, Santorum and Romney are tied each at 37 percent, according to CNN.

10:35 p.m.: Unincorporated DeKalb County says "yes" to Sunday alcohol sales.

10:17 p.m.: The count so far: North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee for Rick Santorum; Virginia, Vermont, Massachusetts for Mitt Romney; Georgia for Newt Gingrich; none for Ron Paul. Ohio, Idaho and Alaska to be decided.

10:30 p.m.: Austell in Cobb County  says "yes" to Sunday alcohol sales.

10:09 p.m: CNN calling North Dakota for Rick Santorum.

10 p.m.: Voting comes to an end in Idaho. In Alaska, the final Super Tuesday state, it'll all be over at midnight.

9:51 p.m.: Says Santorum with two wins under his belt so far: "We're going to win a few. We're going to lose a few. But as it looks right now, we're going to get a couple of gold medals and a whole passel of silver."

9:49 p.m.: Lovejoy in Clayton County says "yes" to Sunday alcohol sales.

9:42 p.m.: Cumming in Forsyth County says "yes" to Sunday alcohol sales.

9:38 p.m.: With a third of the Ohio precincts reporting, Santorum leads by several percentage points.

9:26 p.m.: With voting over in North Dakota, only contests in Idaho and Alaska remain.

9: 17 p.m.: Newt Gingrich will receive Secret Service protection starting Wednesday, according to the AP.

9:12 p.m.: The count so far: Romney wins Virginia, Vermont, Mass.; Santorum wins Oklahoma., Tennessee; Gingrich wins Georgia; none for Paul.

9:02 p.m.: CNN is calling Oklahoma for Rick Santorum.

8:56 p.m.: Gingrich to supporters: "With your help, by the end of next week we could really be in a totally new race."

8:51 p.m.: Gingrich to supporters: "I'm the tortoise, I just take one step at a time."

8:49 p.m.: According to exit polls, Mitt Romney, who is very famously not Catholic, won the Catholic vote in Georgia.

8:43 p.m.: Newt Gingrich, victorious in Georgia, addresses supporters in Atlanta.

8:41 p.m.: AP is calling Tennessee for Rick Santorum.

8:40 p.m.: Early results show Atlantans overwhelmingly favoring renewing a penny municipal option sales tax for water and sewer upgrades for another four years.

8:30 p.m.: Unincorporated Henry County says "yes" to Sunday alcohol sales, 55 percent to 45 percent.

8:27 p.m.: Buford in Gwinnett County says "yes" to Sunday alcohol sales, 58 percent to 42 percent.

8:09 p.m.: AP and CNN calling Massachusetts primary for Mitt Romney.

8:06 p.m.: Santorum, still in an Ohio horse race with Romney, was drawing strong support from the most conservative voters in the state, according to early results of an AP exit poll of voters.

8:02 p.m.: Polls now closed in Massachusetts, Tennessee and Oklahoma.

7:58 p.m.: Romney: "I think we'll pick up a lot of delegates, and this is a process of gathering enough delegates to become the nominee, and I think we're on track to have that happen," according to AP.

7:52 p.m.: So far, Ohio is too close to call, but Romney is ahead of Santorum.

7:37 p.m.: Fox News and CNN project Romney will win Vermont.

7:32 p.m.: Polls now closed in Ohio. The state is important as a bellwether because no Republican has ever won the general election without winning that state.

7:27 p.m.: Mitt Romney wins Virginia over Ron Paul in low turnout contest with only 2 on ballot, according to the AP.

7:26 p.m.: Newt Gingrich's Georgia victory was fueled by Republican voters who said the former U.S. House speaker's ties to the state, which he once represented, were important, according to an Associated Press exit poll.

7:12 p.m.: According to CNN's exit polling, Gingrich received 45 percent in Georgia, followed by 26 percent for Romney, 20 percent for Santorum and 8 percent for Paul.

7:02 p.m.: CNN calls Georgia for Newt Gingrich. The former U.S. House speaker's victory is his first since winning the South Carolina primary on Jan. 21.

7 p.m.: Polls in Georgia, Virginia and Vermont close.

6:40 p.m.: Early exit polls for Super Tuesday out of Ohio and Tennessee show a hesitant electorate split in crucial contests, according to CNN.

6:23 p.m.: The polls will close at 7 p.m. Eastern in Georgia, Virginia, Vermont; at 7:30 p.m. in Ohio; at 8 p.m. in Massachusetts, Tennessee and Oklahoma; at 9 p.m. in North Dakota; at 10 p.m. in Idaho; and at midnight in Alaska.

6:15 p.m.: The economy was the No. 1 issue among Georgia's GOP primary voters, with the federal budget deficit a distant second, according to interviews with voters as they left their polling places Tuesday. Fifty-eight percent of voters interviewed by Edison Research named the economy as their top concern; 29 percent chose the deficit. More on the Georgia exit poll.

6 p.m.: Less than one hour before polls close in Georgia.