Georgia Senate elections live updates: Jon Ossoff projected to win Ga. Senate seat

Walter Jones, a spokesperson for the Georgia secretary of state’s office, shared certification deadline information with ABC News Wednesday for the runoff elections. 

If Ossoff wins, and the results aren't certified until the deadlines below, then President-elect Joe Biden won't have a majority in the Senate until a few days after his inauguration. 

If the results are certified and the Democrats are seated before Biden takes office, Democrats won't have a majority until he's inaugurated because they need Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the tie-breaking vote. 

The deadlines are as follows.

Friday, Jan. 8: The deadline to cure rejected absentee ballots, deadline to verify provisional ballots (if voters lacked photo ID), and deadline for receiving military/overseas ballots postmarked by Election Day. 

Friday, Jan. 15: The deadline for counties to certify election results (though this could happen sooner if everything is ready). 

Friday, Jan. 22: The deadline for the secretary of state to certify election results (this also could happen sooner if everything is ready). 

The deadline for a campaign to request a recount if the margin is less than 0.5% is two business days after the secretary certifies the election. If the secretary does this on Jan. 22, then a campaign would have until Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 5 p.m. to put in the request. 

Georgia code says the secretary delivers the vote totals to the governor who issues a certificate of election to the winners 

-ABC News’ Quinn Scanlan

Former President Barack Obama in a statement Wednesday congratulated Warnock on his historic projected win in Georgia.

“My friend John Lewis is surely smiling down on his beloved Georgia this morning, as people across the state carried forward the baton that he and so many others passed down to them,” Obama wrote.

He also lauded the "resilient, visionary leadership" of Stacey Abrams and added that, “Democrats in Georgia and across the country should feel good today.”

“Georgia’s first Black senator will make the chamber more reflective of our country as a whole and open the door for a Congress that can forego gridlock for gridlock’s sake to focus instead on the many crises facing our nation -- pandemic relief for struggling families, voting rights, protecting our planet, and more,” Obama wrote.

He implored Americans to remain engaged in civic life. 

“If we want to protect the gains we’ve made, achieve even more progress in the years to come, and reinforce the foundations of self-governance on which our country rests, there’s no better path to follow than the one forged by the determined, organized, and confidently hopeful people of Georgia,” Obama wrote.

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Gabriel Sterling, the voting system implementation manager in Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's office, gave an election update Wednesday morning, saying that Ossoff is now leading over Perdue by 17,567 votes.

With 98% of the expected vote in, Ossoff leads with 50.2% (2,213,099 votes) to Perdue’s 49.8% (2,195,532 votes).

Sterling also said there has been no evidence of any irregularities in the process when asked about potential fraud.

"No evidence of any irregularities," Sterling said. "We've had a few things come in on the hotline that might be investigated, but again, we've seen nothing widespread. We've seen nothing that seems real in any way, shape or form, quite honestly."

-ABC News' Quinn Scanlan

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was clearly ecstatic Wednesday morning as he addressed reporters about the election results in Georgia which may turn the Senate over to Democratic control.

"We sure did not take the most direct path to get here, but we are here," Schumer said. "It feels like a brand new day." 

Schumer said during his press conference today that passing $2,000 direct payments will be a top priority if Warnock and Ossoff are both seated. While ABC News can project Warnock's victory, it hasn't projected an Ossoff victory.

Still, Schumer said Wednesday, "One of the first things that I want to do when our new senators are seated is deliver the $2,000 checks to the American families."

Schumer said he's spoken to Biden and "pledged" that his administration will have an ally in the Democratic Senate. 

"For too long much-needed help has been stalled or diluted by a Republican-led Senate and President Trump. That will change with a Democratic Senate, Democratic House and a Democratic president," Schumer said. 

-ABC News’ Allie Pecorin