US presidential election: Millions of voters head towards polling stations

Millions of Americans headed towards polling stations on Tuesday to elect the 47th President of the United States, capping one of the most bitter presidential campaigns in the country's history.

On Monday night, both the candidates, Republican leader Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, spent a considerable amount of time in Pennsylvania, the biggest electoral college prize out of the seven swing states, to sway the remaining undecided voters.

Harris, 60, and Trump, 78, remained neck and neck in polls conducted by various media outlets, with a few projecting a slight edge for the Democratic nominee.

Besides Pennsylvania, the other battleground states that have emerged as crucial are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

 

More than 82 million Americans have already cast their votes in early and mail-in voting, according to the University of Florida's Election.

In their final rallies, the two candidates concluded their campaigns with virtually opposing visions of how to take the country forward, with Harris calling for a vision to overcome "hate and divisiveness" and make a "fresh start" and Trump warning of a bleak future under a Democratic regime.

"Tonight, then, we finish, as we started with optimism, with energy, with joy," said Harris, closing her campaign in Pennsylvania.

In his concluding remarks, Trump said: "My message to you, and to all Americans tonight is very simple: we don't have to live like this."  The US has 50 states and most of them vote for the same party in every election except the swing states. Based on the volume of population, the states are assigned electoral college votes.

Overall, a total of 538 electoral college votes are up for grabs. A candidate with 270 or more electoral votes is declared winner.

The election is being billed as historic as it has been one of the tightest presidential races in the last several decades.

"This is the most consequential election in our lifetime," senior US senator Bernie Sanders told CNN while explaining why Trump as president will be detrimental to the US's foundational values.

If Harris wins the race, history will be made as she will become the first woman, first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to become the US President.

In the overall campaign in the last few days, Harris has been projecting the election as the one to protect the country's fundamental freedoms, safeguard constitutional values and ensure women's rights.

In his rallies, Trump has been promising to rebuild the economy and rid the US of illegal immigrants.

Meanwhile, various leading American cities have been brought under tight security as a precautionary measure to prevent any violence after election results are announced.

The security cover around the White House and Capitol Hill in Washington DC has been strengthened significantly.