Americans are going to the polls on Tuesday, November 5, to elect a new president between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump as President Joe Biden’s tenure nears an end.
Stay tuned to Legit.ng for a live update of the electoral process and the release of the results.
US election: Trump advisers disclose one issue that will determine former president’s fate
Top advisers of Donald Trump said turnout will determine the success or failure of Republicans in the final hours of the presidential election.
“I hate to sound so ridiculous. ‘Oh, it’s turnout,’ but that’s really what this comes down to and the only thing we’re focused on right now.”
Trump vs Harris: Voting commences in 8 states in US
Polling locations in 8 states are open for voters to cast their votes in the 2024 presidential election. Eight states’ polling locations opened at 6 a.m. ET, including those in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire and Virginia.
US presidential election: Hindus in southern India pray for Harris victory
Hindu worshipers in southern India prayed for a Kamala Harris victory on Monday, November 4.
Harris is the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, with her mother born in the state of Tamil Nadu before moving to the US for a doctoral program.
As reported by CNN, Harris had shared childhood memories of visiting her grandfather in Chennai and has spoken about how her Indian heritage has influenced her life and career.
Trump vs Harris: Poll opening times on election day
The time polls open vary by location, sometimes within a county or municipality in a state across the United States.
Some of the earliest poll opening times (all times in ET):
States where voting will commence 6 a.m
Connecticut
Indiana (Polls in central time open at 7 a.m. ET)
Kentucky (polls in Central Time open at 7 a.m. ET)
Maine (Almost all polls open between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., but municipalities with less than 500 people can be open as late as 10 a.m.)
New Hampshire (polls can open between 6 and 11 a.m. – Dixville Notch voted at midnight)
New Jersey
New York
Virginia
States where voting will commence 6:30 a.m
Ohio
North Carolina
West Virginia
Vermont (polls can open as early as 5 a.m. and as late as 10 a.m., but this year the earliest poll opening is at 6:30 a.m.)
States where voting will commence 7 a.m
Alabama (some polls observe Eastern Time and will open at 7 a.m. ET, however most polls operate in Central Time and will open at 8 a.m. ET).
Delaware
Washington, DC
Florida (polls in Central Time open at 8 a.m. ET)
Georgia
Illinois
Kansas (some polls open at 8 a.m. because of time zones)
Maryland
Massachusetts (cities or towns can choose to open as early as 5:45 a.m. ET)
Michigan (some polls open at 8 a.m. ET because of time zones)
Missouri
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee (Polling places with a population of more than 120,000 must open by 7 a.m. ET)
States where voting will commence 8 a.m
Arizona
Iowa
Louisiana
Minnesota (Municipalities with fewer than 500 registered voters can open polling places as late as 11 a.m. ET)
South Dakota (some polls open at 6 a.m. ET depending on time zone)
North Dakota (polls can open between 8 and 11 a.m. ET)
Oklahoma
Texas (polling locations in CT open at 8 a.m. ET and locations in MT open at 9 a.m. ET)
Wisconsin
US presidential election: Trump, Harris end their campaigns
Trump ended his final campaign in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he also closed his 2016 and 2020 campaigns speaking for nearly two hours as he repeated his campaign promises.
Harris had her last rally in the swing state of Pennsylvania where the current vice president highlighted how she plans to “build an economy where we bring down the cost of living” and promised to make housing and childcare more affordable.
US presidential election: Trump claims he’s not running against Harris
The Republican candidate, Donald Trump argued he’s really not running against Kamala Harris but “an evil Democrat system.”
The former US president stated this during his rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Harris vs Trump: The battleground states
The fate of Harris and Trump largely depends on the battleground states. These are:
- Arizona
- Georgia
- Michigan
- Nevada
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- Wisconsin.
Read more about the swing states here and how they are expected to be pivotal to Harris and Trump’s path to victory.
Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump: How winners will emerge
As Americans go to the polls on Election Day to vote for the country’s next president, Harris and Trump each need at least 270 electoral votes.
Read about how the winner will be determined here.