US Election 2024 News Updates: New Iowa poll shows Kamala Harris leading in presidential race

With less than 48 hours left for polling, former US President Donald Trump didn’t rule out banning some vaccines if he returns to the White House. The proclamation from the Republican presidential nominee came after he said that Robert F. Kennedy Jr would have a “big role in the administration”.

While speaking to NBC News on a phone call, Trump said he is open to some of Kennedy’s controversial ideas such as imposing a ban on fluoride in the US water systems. Kennedy ran for the presidency as an independent in this year’s election cycle before he dropped his bid and endorsed Trump.

It’s the election that no one could have foreseen.

Not so long ago, Donald Trump was marinating in self-pity at Mar-a-Lago after being impeached twice and voted out of the White House. Even some of his closest allies were looking forward to a future without the charismatic yet erratic billionaire leading the Republican Party, especially after his failed attempt to overturn an election ended in violence and shame. When Trump announced his comeback bid two years ago, the New York Post buried the article on page 26.

At the same time, Kamala Harris was languishing as a low-profile sidekick to President Joe Biden. Once seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, she struggled with both her profile and her portfolio, disappointing her supporters and delighting her critics. No one was talking about Harris running for the top job — they were wondering if Biden should replace her as his running mate when he sought a second term.

But on Tuesday, improbable as it may have seemed before, Americans will choose either Trump or Harris to serve as the next president. It’s the final chapter in one of the most bewildering, unpredictable and consequential sagas in political history. For once, the word “unprecedented” has not been overused.

Election Day is nearly upon us. In a matter of hours, the final votes in the 2024 presidential election will be cast.

In a deeply divided nation, the election is a true toss-up between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.

We know there are seven battleground states that will decide the outcome, barring a major surprise. But major questions persist about the timing of the results, the makeup of the electorate, the influx of misinformation — even the possibility of political violence. At the same time, both sides are prepared for a protracted legal battle that could complicate things further.

Here’s what to watch on the eve of Election Day 2024:

Given all the twists and turns in recent months, it’s easy to overlook the historical significance of this election.

Harris would become the first female president in the United States’ 248-year history. She would also be the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to hold the office. Harris and her campaign have largely played down gender and race fearing that they might alienate some supporters. But the significance of a Harris win would not be lost on historians.

A Trump victory would represent a different kind of historical accomplishment. He would become the first person convicted of a felony elected to the U.S. presidency, having been convicted of 34 felony counts in a New York hush-money case little more than five months ago.

Trump, who is still facing felony charges in at least two separate criminal cases, argued that he is the victim of a politicized justice system. And tens of millions of voters apparently believe him — or they’re willing to overlook his extraordinary legal baggage.

“And we both know hearts can change,” a line from the famous number November Rain sung by the rock band Guns N’ Roses, aptly echoes what might be going on in the minds of two US presidential candidates in 2024—Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. It is both the fear of failure and the thrill of success that may be dominating their thoughts. Yet, despite November 5 knocking on the door, there remains a long way for either of them to become officially the president-elect of the United States.

Assassination attempts, dropping out of the incumbent, celebrity endorsements, and a whole lot of misinformation — the 2024 US presidential election cycle has been a rollercoaster ride. And it all comes down to tomorrow — November 5 — for Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, and Kamala Harris, representing the Democratic Party.

The big question that everyone seems to be asking is will the United States get its  first woman president  or will it be a second Donald Trump term? That answer will only be known after the November 5 polls.

In recent campaign speeches, Trump has focused on the economy and employment reports, hoping these concerns will resonate with voters and help him defeat Harris in the presidential race.

During a rally in Georgia, he switched his speech towards anti-immigrant emotions, falsely accusing Harris of being responsible for an “invading army” of migrants in the United States.

Kamala Harris made her final appeal to voters on Sunday at a rally at Michigan State University, emphasising her themes of unity and diversity while avoiding directly addressing her opponent, Donald Trump.

In her speech, Harris pledged to strive to end the bloodshed in Gaza, emphasising its importance as a pressing issue in a key swing state just two days before the election. She contrasted her image of leadership with Trump’s language, particularly his recent branding of Democrats as a “demonic” party. In response, Harris stated that she would be a “president for all Americans,” reaffirming her commitment to representing multiple viewpoints and encouraging cross-party cooperation.

Gold held steady on Monday as investors prepared for a key week for the global economy ahead of the U.S. presidential election and the likelihood of another rate cut by the Federal Reserve.

Spot gold edged up by 0.1% to $2,738.32 per ounce, as of 0227 GMT. Bullion hit a record high of $2,790.15 on Thursday.

U.S. gold futures were flat at $2,747.80.

Uncertainty this week could benefit gold, as delays in the election outcome or a split control of the House and Senate might drive safe-haven flows, pushing gold prices higher, said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.

US Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump are set to battle it out to become the 47th president of the United States.

But what do you know about the first US election?

When was it held? And who were the candidates?

With just 48 hours left for the 2024 US presidential elections, a government communications regulator has claimed that Vice-President Kamala Harris’s surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live violates the “equal time” rules that govern political programming. A man named Brendan Carr, who is a commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), said that Harris’s appearance is a “blatant effort” to evade the rule.

“This is a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule. The purpose of the rule is to avoid exactly this type of biased and partisan conduct – a licensed broadcaster using the public airwaves to exert its influence on one candidate on the eve of an election,” Carr wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Unless the broadcaster offered Equal Time to other qualifying campaigns,” he added.

Kamala Harris will watch Tuesday’s election night from the campus of Howard University — her alma mater — a fitting place for possibly the most significant night of her life.

Nicknamed “the Black Harvard,” the Washington school occupies a central role in the US vice president’s biography: Since graduating there in 1986, she has frequently returned at key moments.

“Howard University is one of the most important aspects of my life,” she said in 2019 as a candidate in the Democratic presidential primaries, “and it is where I first ran for my first elected office,” as a student council representative.

“So this is where it all began.”

Her presence there Tuesday night — when Harris could become the first Black woman to be elected US president — is thus deeply symbolic.

The US Congress founded Howard in 1867, two years after the Civil War had put an end to slavery in the mostly Southern states where it remained legal.

Kamala Harris courted voters angered by the Gaza war while Donald Trump doubled down on violent rhetoric with a comment about journalists being shot as the tense US election campaign headed into its final hours.

The Democratic vice president and the Republican former president frantically blitzed several swing states as they tried to win over the last holdouts with less than 36 hours left until polls open on Election Day.

Trump predicted a “landslide,” while Harris told a raucous rally at Michigan State University that “we have momentum — it’s on our side.”

The 2024 race is going down to the wire, with more key states effectively tied at this point than in any comparable election. Over 77.6 million people have cast early votes, around half of the total ballots cast in 2020.

China’s top lawmakers gather Monday to hash out a major stimulus package that analysts say could grow even bigger if former US president Donald Trump wins the White House this week.

Beijing has in recent months heeded calls to step up support for the economy after years of inaction, announcing a raft of measures including rate cuts and the easing of some home buying restrictions.

But they have refrained from unveiling a figure for the long-awaited stimulus, disappointing investors after a market rally fizzled when officials repeatedly failed to commit to a top line.

Analysts now hope this number could emerge from this week’s meeting of the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress, the top body of China’s rubber stamp parliament and headed by number three official Zhao Leji.

The standing committee reviews and approves all legislation, including allocating funds out of China’s budget.

In yet another provocative remark, just days ahead of the November polls, former US President Donald Trump said that he should have stayed in the White House, despite losing the 2020 elections against current US President Joe Biden. The proclamation from the former president came during one of his final rallies of the campaign in Lititz in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.

Trump made the comment shortly after he denounced public polls that showed him behind his rival Vice President Kamala Harris. The Republican presidential nominee went back to his most problematic impulses and referred to Democrats as “demonic”. “We had the safest border in the history of our country the day that I left,” Trump said. “I shouldn’t have left, I mean honestly, we did so well, we had such a great – ” he exclaimed before abruptly cutting himself off.

Concerts and carnivals hosted at polling precincts. “Souls to the Polls” mobilizations after Sunday service. And star-studded rallies featuring Hollywood actors, business leaders, musical artists and activists.

Such seemingly disparate efforts all have a single goal: boost Black voter turnout ahead of Election Day.

How Black communities turn out in the 2024 election has been scrutinized due to the pivotal role Black voters have played in races for the White House, Congress and state legislatures across the country.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who if elected would be the second Black president, has made engaging Black voters a priority of her messaging and policy platform. Meanwhile, former president Donald Trump has sought to make inroads with Democrats’ most consistent voting bloc with unorthodox and at times controversial outreach.

A key strategy in Harris and Democrats’ Black voter outreach includes dispatching the first Black president and his wife, the former first lady, to battleground states where winning may come down to how well the Obamas convince ambivalent or apathetic voters that they must not sit this one out.

Democratic efforts have ranged from vigorous door-knocking campaigns in Atlanta, Detroit and Philadelphia this weekend to swing state rallies. Michelle Obama rallied voters in Norristown, Pennsylvania on Saturday alongside Grammy award-winning artist Alicia Keys while Barack Obama stumped in Milwaukee on Sunday. The former first lady also conducted her own scrupulously nonpartisan rally on Tuesday where speakers evoked the South’s Civil Rights history.

The dollar slipped in Asia on Monday as investors braced for a potentially pivotal week for the global economy as the United States chooses a new leader and, probably, cuts interest rates again with major implications for bond yields.

The euro rose 0.4% to $1.0876 but faces resistance around $1.0905, while the dollar dipped 0.3% on the yen to 152.45 yen. The dollar index eased 0.3% to 103.94.

Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump remain virtually tied in opinion polls and the winner might not be known for days after voting ends.

Analysts believe Trump’s policies on immigration, tax cuts and tariffs would put upward pressure on inflation, bond yields and the dollar, while Harris was seen as the continuity candidate.

Dealers said the early dip in the dollar might be linked to a well-respected poll that showed Harris taking a surprise 3-point lead in Iowa, thanks largely to her popularity with female voters.

“It is widely considered that a Trump win will be positive for the USD, though many feel this outcome has been discounted,” said Chris Weston, an analyst at broker Pepperstone. “A Trump presidency with full control of Congress could be most impactful, as one would expect a solid sell-off in Treasuries resulting in a spike higher in the USD.”

Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump on Sunday expressed frustration over the current voting pattern as he urged his fellow countrymen to vote for him in this final battle and called for a mandatory voter ID.

The Democrats are opposing voter ID so that they can cheat, he alleged.

“I don’t know why the hell we can’t have a voter ID. The real Democrats want to have things like voter ID. They know it’s crooked. There’s only one reason you don’t want a voter ID. There’s only one reason, and that’s to cheat. There is no other reason. There’s no other reason. And they do cheat,” Trump told his supporters at a rally in Pennsylvania, a battle ground state.

He said it’s “damn shame” that nobody seems to talk about it. “I’m the only one that talks about it because everyone’s afraid to damn talk about it. Then they accuse you of being a conspiracy-theorist… and they want to lock you up”.

Winding down her election campaign Sunday, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said that during her travel across the nation she could see people determined to turn the page on hatred and division, and chart a new way forward.

“Here is what feeds my spirit as I travel across our beautiful nation from state to state and from church to church. I see faith in action in remarkable ways. I see a nation determined to turn the page on hatred and division and chart a new way forward,” Harris said in her speech at a church in Detroit, Michigan, a battleground state.

She said that during her campaign, she found that Americans from the so-called red states and the so-called blue states are ready to bend the arc of history toward justice.

“I see an incredible number of our young people, our young leaders. Oh! It would inspire you to see how they are organizing for change. What I love about that generation, they are quite impatient in a most wonderful way. As I travel our nation, I see neighbours helping neighbours who were perfect strangers before. But now neighbours recover and rebuild from disasters,” she said, giving her description of the country as she enters the final stretch of her presidential campaign.

Vice President Kamala Harris is leading 47 percent to 44 percent over former President Donald Trump among likely voters in Iowa, a new poll showed two days ahead of the high-stakes election for the White House.

Trump was quick to reject the poll as “fake”.

“One of my enemies just puts out a poll — I am 3 down. (Iowa Senator) Joni Ernst called me, everyone’s called me, they said you are killing in Iowa. The farmers love me and I love them,” he said at a rally in key battleground state of Pennsylvania.

Trump said that the poll released Saturday was “fake”. “I’m not down in Iowa,” he asserted.

The poll by Des Moines Register newspaper came even as both Trump and Harris criss-crossed key battleground states to make their closing remarks ahead of the November 5 national election day.

Acording to the poll, Harris is leading in the race in view of support from women and independent voters.

Trump concluded his address at the North Carolina rally by saying: “You’ve got to vote, so forget what I just said.” He went on to accuse Kamala Harris of ruining the economy and promised to impose harsher measures on the southern border if he became president for a second time.

“Every problem we are facing can be solved, but now the fate of the nation is in your hands,” he added.

The Democratic presidential nominee started her address by making remarks on the Middle East, noting the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. “As president I will do everything in my power to end the war in Gaza, to bring home the hostages, end the suffering in Gaza, ensure Israel is secure and ensure the Palestinian people can ensure their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination,” she said.

It is pertinent to note that Michigan is a swing state with the US’s largest Arab American population and many have been dismayed by the Biden administration’s response to the Gaza war.

While Donald Trump invoked dark rhetoric on the campaign trail on Sunday, the former president’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, said the former president’s closing message is to “unleash a golden age of American prosperity for all our citizens,” regardless of how they vote.

“If they vote the wrong way, they’re still our fellow citizens. We’re still going to love them, and we’re still going to serve them as best we can. Do not follow the lead of Kamala Harris and the Democrats,” the Ohio senator said while addressing a rally in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Vance was joined in Pennsylvania by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds and Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty.

“My friends, we’ve got the best country in the world, the best people, the best natural resources. The only thing that is broken about the United States of America is the failed leadership of Kamala Harris. Our people deserve a better president in two days. Let’s give it to ‘em,” Vance added.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee Senator JD Vance in New York. AP

On Sunday, the former US President appeared to have mistakenly called out Pennsylvania’s GOP Senate candidate Dave McCormick during his speech in North Carolina. “We have great Republicans running, and you have one of the best of all right here, David McCormick, you know that. Where’s David? Is he around someplace?” Trump said during his rally in Kinston, North Carolina.

Trump, who held a rally in Pennsylvania earlier in the day, appeared to catch himself and said, “You know, we just left him, he’s a great guy.”  Earlier today, Trump spoke at Lititz, Pennsylvania where he claimed that he “shouldn’t have left” office after losing the 2020 election, described Democrats as “demonic” and said he “wouldn’t mind” if a gunman aiming at him also shot through the “the fake news.”

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Kinston, North Carolina, on Sunday.

Harris’s VP pick Tim Walz slammed US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson for comments the Republican made Friday suggesting lawmakers could repeal the CHIPS and Science Act. The Minnesota Governor noted that the law which was passed under US President Joe Biden to increase investment in domestic semiconductor manufacturing, would jeopardize hundreds of jobs in Georgia and put the US behind China in economic competitiveness.

“Two days ago, Speaker Johnson suggested that if Trump wins this thing, they’re going to go back and repeal the CHIPS and Science Act, defunding — listen to this, defunding 115,000 jobs that are already working in manufacturing and construction, including 1,200 good paying jobs right here in Georgia,” Walz said.

Johnson has since backed off his comments. He told CNN that the law is “not on the agenda for repeal.” Meanwhile, Walz framed Johnson’s original comment in the context of Trump’s other economic policy plans, specifically pointing to his proposal to increase tariffs on imports.

“Donald hates it when we remind him that he’s almost 80 years old. He’s almost 80 years old, and in that 80 years, you would have thought he would have learned how a tariff works,” he said.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Governor Tim Walz gestures as he speaks during a debate with Republican vice presidential nominee US Senator JD Vance (R-OH) hosted by CBS in New York, US, October 1, 2024. File Image/Reuters

The Republican National Committee and the Georgia GOP have filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging hand-returned absentee ballots received this weekend in the Georgia counties of Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, Athens-Clarke, Clayton and Chatham.

The lawsuit claims that allowing voters to return absentee ballots in person at election offices over the weekend and Monday violates state law. GOP asked the court to prevent absentee ballots from being accepted at election offices between November 2 and November 4. The new lawsuit comes after Republicans lost a legal fight on nearly the same issues in Fulton County Superior Court this weekend.

With less than 48 hours left for the election day in the US, the race for the White House still looks neck and neck. The 2024 polls are touted as the tightest race since at least the 2000 poll. According to the latest numbers, Kamala Harris holds a slender one-point lead nationwide over Donald Trump. But the leads are all narrow – within the margin of error.

Harris will become president if she wins where she is currently leading, as well as either one of the two states where there’s less than one point in the race.

Meanwhile, he will need to win both tied states and the two where he’s ahead.

Kamala Harris speaking during a town hall in Malvern, Pennsylvania, left, and Donald Trump delivering remarks on Hurricane Helene in Swannanoa, North Carolina. AP File

Ahead of the November 5 polls, Vice President Kamala Harris dodged a question on whether she voted for California’s Proposition 36, which would make it easier for prosecutors to send repeat shoplifters and drug users to jail or prison, after submitting her ballot.

“I am not gonna talk about the vote on that because, honestly, it’s the Sunday before the election and I don’t intend to create an endorsement one way or the other,” Harris told reporters.

It is pertinent to note that the measure would roll back provisions of Proposition 47, which downgraded low-level thefts and drug possession to misdemeanours.

With just two days left in the November polls, former US President Donald Trump started delivering his remarks in Kinston, North Carolina, about two hours behind schedule.

So far, he has accused his opponent Vice President Kamala Harris of doing “the worst job ever on hurricane salvage and removal” and attacked Senate GOP minority leader Mitch McConnell. “Hopefully we get rid of Mitch McConnell pretty soon,” Trump said. “Can you believe he endorsed me? Boy, that must’ve been a painful day in his life,” he remarked.

Kamala Harris told a Michigan church on Sunday that God offers America a “divine plan strong enough to heal division,” while Donald Trump gave a profane and conspiracy-laden speech in which he mused about reporters being shot and labeled Democrats as “demonic.”

The two major candidates took starkly different tones on the final Sunday of the campaign. Less than 48 hours before Election Day, Harris, the Democratic vice president, argued that Tuesday’s election offers voters the chance to reject “chaos, fear and hate,” while Trump, the Republican former president, repeated lies about voter fraud to try to cast doubt on the integrity of the vote and suggested that the country was falling apart without him in office.

Harris was concentrating her Sunday in Michigan, beginning the day with a few hundred parishioners at Detroit’s Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ. It marked the fourth consecutive Sunday that Harris, who is Baptist, has spoken to a Black congregation, a reflection of how critical Black voters are across multiple battleground states.

Donald Trump has vigorously contested a surprising Iowa poll showing Kamala Harris leading him 47% to 44% in a state traditionally aligned with Republicans. In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump emphasized his commitment to farmers, asserting, “No President has done more for FARMERS, and the Great State of Iowa, than Donald J. Trump. It’s not even close!”

He dismissed the poll as skewed, claiming it was biased against him by a “Trump hater” who had previously misrepresented his support. Trump further stated, “I love the farmers, and they love me. And they trust me,” highlighting the agricultural significance of Iowa, where over 85% of land is dedicated to farming and the state leads in corn, pigs, eggs, ethanol, and biodiesel production.

The Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll, released Saturday, indicates that Harris’s support among likely women voters has contributed to her lead in a state Trump won comfortably in both 2016 and 2020.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump began a frantic last push across US swing states Sunday, with less than 48 hours of campaigning left to secure a decisive edge in a bitterly fought and historically close presidential election.

“The fate of our nation is in your hands. On Tuesday, you have to stand up,” Trump told his first rally of the day in Pennsylvania, where he doubled down on unfounded claims of election rigging.

Over 76 million people have cast early ballots ahead of Tuesday’s climax and the battle is down to the wire — with more states functionally tied in polls at this point than in any comparable election.

The closeness of the race is all the more remarkable given its dramatic twists and the fact that the candidates could hardly be further apart in their campaign styles and visions for the future.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of debunked public health claims whom Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives, said Saturday that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office if elected president.

Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.

Kennedy made the declaration Saturday on the social media platform X alongside a variety of claims about the heath effects of fluoride.

“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, “want to Make America Healthy Again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump often uses and links to Kennedy.

Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he had not spoken to Kennedy about fluoride yet, “but it sounds OK to me. You know it’s possible.”

North Carolina has broken its early voting record, with over 4.2 million voters casting ballots at in-person voting sites. This surpasses the previous record of 3.63 million set in 2020.

Early in-person voting, which ended Saturday, has become increasingly popular in the presidential battleground state over several election cycles. People can simultaneously register to vote and cast ballots at early voting sites.

Four years ago, a record 3.63 million people voted at hundreds of sites in all 100 counties during the early-voting period. This year, the state exceeded that total by Thursday, days before the period ended, the board said.

Including absentee voting, 4,465,548 voters — or 57% of the state’s 7.8 million registered voters — cast ballots in the general election as of Sunday morning, officials said, noting that turnout may be slightly higher because of a lag between when ballots are cast and when data is uploaded.

Turnout in the 25 western counties affected by Hurricane Helene was stronger than the rest of the state at 58.9% — about 2% higher than statewide turnout, officials said.

The Trump campaign has alleged that the recent polling results of The New York Times and Des Moines Register are designed to suppress voter turnout by depicting a pessimistic view of Trump’s reelection prospects.

In a memo from campaign pollsters Tony Fabrizio and Tim Saler, they argue that “some in the media are choosing to amplify a mad dash to dampen and diminish voter enthusiasm.” They insist that this strategy will fail, asserting, “Our voters are like President Trump: they fight.”

The memo claims that the polling from NYT features biased samples that overrepresent Democratic voters relative to actual voter registration and turnout patterns.

Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off her Michigan tour on Sunday, first stopping at a Black church in Detroit. This visit marks the beginning of a crucial day-long swing through the state ahead of Tuesday’s presidential election.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump is set to hold a rally in Pennsylvania as both candidates make a last-minute push for votes in key battleground states.

Interestingly, Harris appeared unexpectedly on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” the night before, playing herself alongside Maya Rudolph’s impersonation.

Harris’ Michigan itinerary includes visits to a local restaurant, a barbershop in Pontiac, and a rally at East Lansing, home to Michigan State University. As Detroit is a Democratic stronghold, her presence aims to solidify support.

With just days to go until the US presidential election, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are running neck and neck in the seven crucial battleground states. Harris has a slight edge in Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, while Trump is barely ahead in Arizona. The two candidates are virtually tied in Michigan, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.

According to the final New York Times/Siena College poll, Harris leads among voters who have already cast their ballots by 8 percentage points. However, Trump holds an advantage among voters who intend to vote but haven’t yet done so. Notably, 40% of respondents have already voted.

In Pennsylvania, the race is particularly intense, with Trump gaining momentum in a state Harris previously led by four percentage points in earlier New York Times polls. This shift in momentum underscores the fluidity of the election landscape.

The results on Election Day will come down to seven states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have visited them the most. Together, these states are likely to deliver the Electoral College votes needed for the winning candidate to get a majority of 270.

It will be a game of hopscotch to keep up with key times in each of the states, which stretch across four different time zones.

A look at the Election Day timeline across the seven, with all listings in Eastern Standard Time:

Polls open at 8 a.m. in Arizona, which Joe Biden carried in 2020 by 0.3%. He was only the second Democratic presidential candidate to do so in nearly 70 years. Polls will close at 9 p.m.

Arizona does not release votes until all precincts have reported or one hour after all polls are closed, whichever is first.

In 2020, The Associated Press first reported Arizona results at 10:02 p.m. ET on Nov. 3, Election Day, and declared Biden the winner at 2:51 a.m. ET on Nov. 4.

Polls open at 7 a.m. in Georgia, which played a key role in 2020. Biden was the first Democrat in a White House race to carry the state since Bill Clinton in 1992, defeating Trump by less than one-quarter of a percentage point, a margin of 11,779 votes.

Since then, Trump’s efforts to overturn those results have been at the heart of a criminal case in Fulton County. It is on hold while his legal team pursues a pretrial appeal to have District Attorney Fani Willis removed from the case and the indictment tossed. The Georgia Court of Appeals will hear those arguments after the election.

Georgia’s polls close at 7 p.m.

In 2020, the AP first reported Georgia results at 7:20 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Biden the state’s winner at 7:58 p.m. ET on Nov. 19, more than two weeks after Election Day.

Polls open at 7 a.m. ET in Michigan, one of the “blue wall” states that went narrowly for Trump in 2016 after almost 30 years of voting for Democratic candidates. Biden won it back four years later. His margin was about 154,000 votes out of more than 5.5 million votes.

Michigan covers two time zones, but polls in most of the state close at 8 p.m. ET, with the rest at 9 p.m. ET.

In 2020, the AP first reported Michigan results at 8:08 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Biden the winner at 5:58 p.m. ET on Nov. 4.

Polls open at 10 a.m. ET in Nevada, the smallest electoral vote prize of the battlegrounds. But it has one of the best track records as a presidential bellwether. The candidate who won Nevada has gone on to win the White House in 27 of the past 30 presidential elections.

Polls close at 10 p.m. ET. The state doesn’t release results until the last person in line has voted, so there’s usually been a wait between poll close and the first results.

In 2020, the AP first reported Nevada results at 11:41 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Biden the winner at 12:13 p.m. ET on Nov. 7.

Polls open at 6:30 a.m. ET in North Carolina, which has been carried by Democrats only two times in presidential elections since 1968. But the state has stayed competitive for both major parties. Trump’s 2020 victory in North Carolina, by about 1 percentage point, was his smallest winning margin in any state.

Polls close at 7:30 p.m. ET.

In 2020, the AP first reported results at 7:42 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Trump the winner at 3:49 p.m. ET on Nov. 13.

Polls open at 7 a.m. ET in Pennsylvania, another “blue wall” state. Biden’s 2020 margin in Pennsylvania was about 80,000 votes out of more than 6.9 million votes. This year, it’s the spot where Harris and Trump met for the first time at their sole debate in September in Philadelphia.

Polls close at 8 p.m. ET in a state with more electoral votes, 19, than any of the battlegrounds.

In 2020, the AP first reported results at 8:09 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Biden the winner at 11:25 a.m. ET on Nov. 7.

Polls open at 8 a.m. ET in Wisconsin, the third “blue wall” state in this group. Wisconsin is no stranger to close elections; the margin of victory in the state was less than 1 percentage point in 2020, 2016, 2004 and 2000.

Polls close at 9 p.m. ET.

In 2020, the AP first reported Wisconsin results at 9:07 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Biden the winner at 2:16 p.m. ET on Nov. 4.

Sunday will be the last day of the weekend when both the presidential candidates will make their final push ahead of the November 5 elections. Here’s what Kamala Harris and Donald Trump’s day will look like:

Harris

The vice president will first hold a rally in Michigan following which she will address the voters of the key swing state of Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, First Lady Jill Biden will attend a rally in Pennsylvania and former President Bill Clinton is slated to appear at an event in Georgia.

Trump

The former president will hold election rallies in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia. It is important to note that this will be Trump’s third campaign in North Carolina in two days.

Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance will hold rallies in Florida, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.

As the US inches closer to election day, a plague of disinformation has taken over social media and experts observing the polling event are concerned by its widespread impact on voters.

While the two presidential candidates, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump make their final election pitches, a wave of rumours, misleading claims and lies are parallelly trying to undermine their campaigns.

Hundreds of posts made by individuals, Republican backers and Democrat groups on social are giving a hard time to election officials who have to take out time from their usual polling duties to debunk these rumours.