Election day worker Sean Vander Waal prepares to open a polling place in Dearborn, Michigan [Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo]Published On 5 Nov 20245 Nov 2024
Polling stations have opened in a number of states across the United States, with the votes deciding not only who the country’s next president will be but also the makeup of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Election Day on Tuesday is the culmination of weeks of early voting in some locations. Several states began early voting – whether by mail or in person – as far back as September.
Nearly 81 million voters already cast their ballots before Election Day, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab.
Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican rival Donald Trump are going head-to-head in a race that remains too close to call.
Whatever the outcome, the result will define US politics and policy for the next four years. It will also be historic as voters will either elect the first female president in Harris or the first convicted felon in Trump.
The vote will also ultimately reveal the full extent of the changing demographics of the US electorate.
The first voting site technically opened just after Monday at midnight Eastern Time (05:00 GMT Tuesday) in the tiny New Hampshire town of Dixville Notch.
Once the polls close in the evening, the results may take hours or days to be tabulated. States cannot begin reporting their vote counts until polls close.
An election sign in Manhattan, New York City. Voters will decide not only the next president of the country, but also the makeup of the House of Representatives and the Senate. [Andrew Kelly/Reuters] Advertisement Residents of Dixville Notch cast their ballots at midnight in the living room of the Tillotson House at the Balsams Resort, marking the first votes in the US election, in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. [Joseph Prezioso/AFP]Six registered voters cast their ballots in Dixville Notch. [John Tully/Getty Images via AFP]People gather at PS 140 Nathan Straus Elementary School to vote in Manhattan, New York City. Kamala Harris has pledged to “turn the page” on what she calls Donald Trump’s divisive rhetoric. [Andrew Kelly/Reuters]A man wears a hat with stickers on Election Day in Manhattan, New York City. Harris has positioned herself as a “new generation” leader who will boost the middle class, protect women’s rights and maintain the integrity of US institutions at home and abroad. [Andrew Kelly/Reuters]People line up to votes at Pittsburgh Manchester School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. All eyes will be on seven key states that are likely to decide the presidential election’s outcome: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada and North Carolina. [Quinn Glabicki/Reuters] Advertisement A man votes at Pittsburgh Manchester School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Trump has promised a return to a US “golden age”, with a plan to lift economic regulations, project US strength abroad and crack down on migrants. [Quinn Glabicki/Reuters]A woman writes on a board showing vote tallies in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. [Reba Saldanha/Reuters]People line up to vote at Park Tavern in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States. [Cheney Orr/Reuters]
