Washington:
The wait to find out who will win – Kamala Harris or Donald Trump – is almost over. Americans have decided who their next president will be. After a months-long, hotly contested election campaign, tens of millions of citizens in the United States cast their votes today. The counting of votes takes place immediately after voting has ended.
Voting started nationwide at 6:00 AM local time in each time zone and ends at 8:00 PM local time. The US has six time zones, four of which are located in the US mainland, while two are in US territories around the world. The four major time zones are Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific Standard Time, while the other two time zones include Alaska Standard Time and Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time, which are only observed by Alaska and Hawaii, respectively.
The US presidential election is being closely watched around the world as US policies have long had a major impact on other countries. The 2024 US presidential election was extraordinary in terms of political discourse reaching new lows.
During the months-long election campaign, America and the rest of the planet witnessed an ugly and divisive battle – with personal attacks, derogatory language, racist comments, inflammatory rhetoric and even assassination attempts.
WHO HAS THE EDGE?
The latest opinion polls show that Kamala Harris has a razor-thin lead over Donald Trump: 1 percentage point. However, if the electorate is viewed in terms of gender, Kamala Harris has a 12 percentage point lead over Trump among women, while Trump has a 7 percentage point lead over Harris among men, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos polls.
For those who supported Kamala Harris, her promise to protect abortion rights was one of the most compelling reasons to vote for her. The perception that Donald Trump making racist and offensive comments also played a role in those who voted against him.
For those who supported Donald Trump, a strict immigration system was one of the main reasons for supporting him. High inflation and concerns about the economy during Biden's term, in which Kamala Harris was vice president, were among the reasons for voting against the Democratic nominee.
The election was very close and both candidates were neck and neck in the race. While Harris may have a 1 percentage point lead over Trump, there is uncertainty about the ultimate outcome.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
It doesn't matter who wins, Harris or Trump, history is being made today.
If 60-year-old Kamala Harris, the first female vice president in US history, wins, she will become the first woman, the first black woman, the first Indian American and the first South Asian American to hold the presidency wins.
On the other hand, if 78-year-old Donald Trump, the only US president to be impeached twice and the first to be criminally convicted, wins, he would become the first US president in more than a century to win non-consecutive terms .
UNDERSTANDING THE ELECTION
The US follows the electoral college voting system. There are a total of 538 votes in the Electoral College; 435 House of Representatives, 100 seats in the Senate and 3 seats from Washington DC. To become president, a candidate needs at least 270 votes.
Each state has a certain number of electoral votes. California has the maximum number of seats with 54, followed by Texas (40) and Florida (30). On the other hand, states like North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware and Vermont have a minimum number of 3 seats.
Of the fifty states in the US, seven are considered 'battle ground states' or 'swing states'. These are crucial for both candidates because only these seven states have the potential to decide who will be the next president. These states are: Nevada (6 seats), Arizona (11 seats), North Carolina (16 seats), Georgia (16 seats), Wisconsin (10 seats), Michigan (15 seats) and Pennsylvania (19 seats).
More than 80 million Americans had already voted, by mail or in person, before the main election day (Nov. 5), and lines at several polling places were short and orderly on Tuesday morning.
Control of both chambers of Congress is also up for grabs. Republicans have an easier path in the U.S. Senate, where Democrats are defending several seats in Republican-leaning states, while the House of Representatives appears to be a toss-up.
