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After a long and hate-filled campaign, the focus of the US presidential election shifts to the American voter as they brave the elements of nature — the rain and the cold — to step out and cast their vote for either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
While some states continue to poll, others have now closed, including the crucial swing states of Georgia and Pennsylvania. Early results have come in for a few — with the media declaring Donald Trump the winner in the states of Texas, Ohio, North and South Dakota, Louisiana and Wyoming to name a few. Meanwhile, Democrat candidate Kamala Harris has been declared triumphant in the states of Vermont, New York, Delaware.
For many, the US election is a complicated process. And if you are just waking up to Election Day, there’s a lot to take in.
But don’t get overwhelmed as we break it down for you.
Trump or Harris? Who’s leading?
The one question or perhaps the only question that many are asking as America votes is who’s leading.
According to CNN, the votes are tilting in favour of the Republican candidate — Donald Trump. The American media outlet has declared that he has secured 207 of the Electoral College votes while Kamala Harris is trailing behind with 91.
The Guardian, on the other hand, has declared Trump ahead with 210 votes compared to 113 for Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, the BBC reports that the former US president is ahead with 162 wins compared to his rival, Harris, who has 81 votes.
News agency AFP reports that Harris has won 81 electoral votes while Trump is triumphant with 168.
It’s important to note that the magic number to win the presidency is 270. Observers expect the hotly contested race for the White House to come down to a handful of key battleground states.
All in all, as of now, Trump is leading overall. However, those who are supporting Kamala Harris shouldn’t start fretting. The final results are a long way to go with results from key states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona still to come.
Which states have been called?
As many wake up from their slumber, especially in India and other Southeast Asian nations, America is edging one step closer to the finish line, as polls have now closed in more than 40 states.
Projections will come quickly in the next hour, but some states will take longer to count than others.
So far, news networks have declared results for a few states.
States that have voted in favour of Donald Trump are Kentucky, Indiana, Texas, South Carolina, Ohio. Montana, Utah. The AP has also called Florida, a one-time battleground state, in favour of Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Democrat Kamala Harris won the big prize state of Illinois as well as Rhode Island, Delaware, New York, Massachusetts and Vermont.
What did exit polls predict?
The current results contradict the exit polls. Earlier, exit polls showed that most of the voters favoured 59-year-old Harris over her Republican rival. According to an exit poll by NBC News, 48 per cent of voters nationwide expressed a favourable view of Harris, while 44 per cent supported Trump.
Another CNN exit poll showed that roughly three-quarters of the electorate held a negative view of the way things were going in the US today. According to the poll, only about one-quarter called themselves enthusiastic or satisfied with the state of the nation, with more than four in 10 dissatisfied and roughly three in 10 saying they are angry.
Harris, the Democratic vice president, did phone interviews on Election Day. She is quoted as telling a roomful of her staffers, “This truly represents the best of who we are.” Meanwhile, Trump said, “I’m watching these results. So far so good.”
These elections are historic for a number of reasons. If Harris, the Indian-American who is the first female vice president, wins, she would become the first woman, Black woman and South Asian American to win the presidency.
However, if the US voters choose Trump, the only president to be impeached twice and the first former president to be criminally convicted, he would become the first president to win non-consecutive terms in more than a century.
With inputs from agencies
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