Thursday, 21 November, 2024
American voters head to the polls on Tuesday in a landmark election that could either make Kamala Harris the first woman president in U.S. history or secure Donald Trump’s unprecedented comeback, a prospect that could send shockwaves around the world.
As polls opened on Election Day, Democratic Vice President Harris, 60, and former Republican President Trump, 78, remained neck-and-neck in one of the tightest and most volatile presidential races in recent history. Both candidates spent their final campaign hours mobilizing supporters and appealing to undecided voters across key swing states that will likely decide the race.
This campaign season has been marked by extraordinary developments: Harris entered the race in July after President Joe Biden stepped aside, while Trump survived two assassination attempts and a criminal conviction. Yet, despite these dramatic twists, the race remains deadlocked, with polls showing no decisive lead for either candidate.
Polling stations opened at 6:00 a.m. on the U.S. East Coast, with tens of millions expected to cast ballots, adding to the more than 82 million who voted early. Given the close polls, a clear result may take days to emerge, adding to the tension in a deeply divided nation. Authorities have even braced for potential unrest, with barriers set up around the White House and businesses in Washington, D.C., boarded up as a precaution.
The stakes of this election are global: its outcome will have significant consequences for Middle East conflicts, the war in Ukraine, and climate action, which Trump has dismissed as a "hoax."
‘Every Vote Matters’
The race remains tied across key battleground states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Harris held her final rally in Pennsylvania, a must-win state, on the iconic Philadelphia steps from the movie Rocky, declaring, “Momentum is on our side.”
“This could be one of the closest races in history—every single vote matters,” Harris cautioned, flanked by celebrities like Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey.
Trump, aiming to become the oldest and first convicted felon to win the presidency, cast himself as America’s only chance to reverse a national decline and confront the “savage” migrant crisis. “With your vote tomorrow, we can solve every problem and lead America—and the world—to new heights of glory,” Trump said at his final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after stops in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Harris, meanwhile, centered her campaign around reproductive rights, opposing Trump-backed abortion bans that resonate with many women voters. However, she took an optimistic tone in her closing remarks, avoiding further direct criticism of Trump, whom she has previously accused of endangering democracy with his divisive rhetoric and threats to retaliate against political adversaries.
Making History
A Trump victory would be historic, making him only the second U.S. president to serve non-consecutive terms since Grover Cleveland in 1893. His return would likely heighten international instability, with European and NATO allies concerned over his isolationist “America First” stance, while global trading partners watch his tariff proposals with trepidation.
A Harris victory, on the other hand, would mark a turning point as she would become the first Black and South Asian woman president, signaling an end to the Trump era that has reshaped U.S. politics for nearly a decade.
Although Trump has indicated he won’t run again in 2028, he continues to deny his 2020 election loss to Biden and the trauma surrounding the January 6 Capitol attack still looms. Trump has hinted he may challenge another defeat, repeatedly raising unsubstantiated claims of election fraud in the campaign’s final days, asserting that he "should never have left" the White House.
The U.S. presidential campaign, marked by upheaval and fierce divisions, reached its Election Day finale on Tuesday as Americans cast their votes on whether to bring Donald Trump back to the White House or to elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.
Voters faced a stark choice between two candidates with vastly different temperaments and visions for the world's largest economy and military power. Over 82 million people voted early. For those voting on Election Day, the process was mostly smooth, with only isolated reports of typical issues like long lines, technical glitches, and ballot printing errors.
Trump cast his ballot in Palm Beach, Florida, near his Mar-a-Lago club, expressing confidence afterwards.
“It looks like Republicans have shown up in force,” he told reporters, sporting a red “Make America Great Again” cap. He added that he hadn’t prepared a victory or concession speech, saying, “I’m not a Democrat. I can make a speech on very short notice.”
Meanwhile, Harris, the Democratic vice president, conducted phone interviews with radio stations in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada. If elected, she would be the first female president and has pledged to address economic concerns and other issues through bipartisan cooperation, without radically changing President Joe Biden's current policies.
Trump, the former Republican president, has vowed to overhaul the federal workforce by installing loyalists, imposing sweeping tariffs on both allies and adversaries, and initiating the largest deportation effort in U.S. history.
In Scranton, Pennsylvania, 74-year-old Liza Fortt arrived at her polling station in a wheelchair despite not feeling well, determined to vote for Harris.
“It means a lot to me and my grandkids, my granddaughters, my nieces... I was just waiting for this day to come,” said Fortt, who is Black. She shared that she never thought she’d see the day when she could vote for a Black woman in a presidential race.
Election Day Voting Runs Smoothly, Despite Minor Delays and Scattered Issues
Election Day voting proceeded smoothly across the nation on Tuesday, with only isolated reports of delays due to extreme weather, ballot printing errors, and technical issues.
By midday, most disruptions were “largely expected routine and planned-for events,” according to Cait Conley, senior adviser to the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), during a press briefing. She confirmed that the agency was not tracking any significant incidents impacting election security on a national scale.
In Pennsylvania, a swing state, early reports of Republican poll watchers being barred from some polling sites were quickly resolved. In Cambria County, a state judge ordered polls to stay open for an additional two hours after a software malfunction affected ballot-scanning machines. County officials reassured voters that no one had been turned away and confirmed that all ballots would be counted. Cambria County had voted 68% in favor of former President Donald Trump in 2020.
Phoney bomb threats that appeared to originate in many cases from Russian email domains targeted polling locations across several US states on Tuesday, the FBI said.
"None of the threats have been determined to be credible thus far," the FBI said in a statement, adding that election integrity was among the bureau's highest priorities. At least two polling sites targeted by the hoax bomb threats in the election battleground state of Georgia were briefly evacuated on Tuesday.
Those two locations in Fulton County both re-opened after about 30 minutes, officials said, and the county is seeking a court order to extend the location's voting hours past the statewide 7 pm deadline.
Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger blamed Russian interference for the Election Day bomb hoaxes.
"They're up to mischief, it seems. They don't want us to have a smooth, fair and accurate election, and if they can get us to fight among ourselves, they can count that as a victory," Raffensperger told reporters.
The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The FBI did not elaborate on which states received the threats, though one official told Reuters that Georgia alone received more than two dozen, most of which occurred in Fulton County.
The phoney bomb threats mark the latest in a string of examples of alleged interference by the Russians in the 2024 election.
On November 5, the United States held its Election Day to select the next president, with millions having already participated in early voting. The final votes were cast on Tuesday before polls closed.
In keeping with tradition, a small town in New Hampshire was the first to cast its ballots just after midnight (local time). The town, with a population of six, recorded an even split between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, with each candidate receiving three votes. As election results begin to roll in from various states, attention is focused on seven key battleground states that will ultimately determine the next president.
A key question surrounding the U.S. presidential election is the timing of the election results. Election Day has evolved into what is often referred to as an "election week," as each state has its own rules and practices for counting ballots. Legal challenges can also arise, potentially delaying the results.
Typically, vote counting begins as soon as polling ends in each state. The winner of the popular vote is declared once all votes are counted. However, it is not uncommon for a "projected" winner to be announced in one state while voting continues in another.
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American voters head to the polls on Tuesday in a landmark election that could either make Kamala Harris the first woman president in U.S. history or secure Donald Trump’s unprecedented comeback, a prospect that could send shockwaves around the world.
As polls opened on Election Day, Democratic Vice President Harris, 60, and former Republican President Trump, 78, remained neck-and-neck in one of the tightest and most volatile presidential races in recent history. Both candidates spent their final campaign hours mobilizing supporters and appealing to undecided voters across key swing states that will likely decide the race.
This campaign season has been marked by extraordinary developments: Harris entered the race in July after President Joe Biden stepped aside, while Trump survived two assassination attempts and a criminal conviction. Yet, despite these dramatic twists, the race remains deadlocked, with polls showing no decisive lead for either candidate.
Polling stations opened at 6:00 a.m. on the U.S. East Coast, with tens of millions expected to cast ballots, adding to the more than 82 million who voted early. Given the close polls, a clear result may take days to emerge, adding to the tension in a deeply divided nation. Authorities have even braced for potential unrest, with barriers set up around the White House and businesses in Washington, D.C., boarded up as a precaution.
The stakes of this election are global: its outcome will have significant consequences for Middle East conflicts, the war in Ukraine, and climate action, which Trump has dismissed as a "hoax."
‘Every Vote Matters’
The race remains tied across key battleground states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Harris held her final rally in Pennsylvania, a must-win state, on the iconic Philadelphia steps from the movie Rocky, declaring, “Momentum is on our side.”
“This could be one of the closest races in history—every single vote matters,” Harris cautioned, flanked by celebrities like Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey.
Trump, aiming to become the oldest and first convicted felon to win the presidency, cast himself as America’s only chance to reverse a national decline and confront the “savage” migrant crisis. “With your vote tomorrow, we can solve every problem and lead America—and the world—to new heights of glory,” Trump said at his final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after stops in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Harris, meanwhile, centered her campaign around reproductive rights, opposing Trump-backed abortion bans that resonate with many women voters. However, she took an optimistic tone in her closing remarks, avoiding further direct criticism of Trump, whom she has previously accused of endangering democracy with his divisive rhetoric and threats to retaliate against political adversaries.
Making History
A Trump victory would be historic, making him only the second U.S. president to serve non-consecutive terms since Grover Cleveland in 1893. His return would likely heighten international instability, with European and NATO allies concerned over his isolationist “America First” stance, while global trading partners watch his tariff proposals with trepidation.
A Harris victory, on the other hand, would mark a turning point as she would become the first Black and South Asian woman president, signaling an end to the Trump era that has reshaped U.S. politics for nearly a decade.
Although Trump has indicated he won’t run again in 2028, he continues to deny his 2020 election loss to Biden and the trauma surrounding the January 6 Capitol attack still looms. Trump has hinted he may challenge another defeat, repeatedly raising unsubstantiated claims of election fraud in the campaign’s final days, asserting that he "should never have left" the White House.
The U.S. presidential campaign, marked by upheaval and fierce divisions, reached its Election Day finale on Tuesday as Americans cast their votes on whether to bring Donald Trump back to the White House or to elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.
Voters faced a stark choice between two candidates with vastly different temperaments and visions for the world's largest economy and military power. Over 82 million people voted early. For those voting on Election Day, the process was mostly smooth, with only isolated reports of typical issues like long lines, technical glitches, and ballot printing errors.
Trump cast his ballot in Palm Beach, Florida, near his Mar-a-Lago club, expressing confidence afterwards.
“It looks like Republicans have shown up in force,” he told reporters, sporting a red “Make America Great Again” cap. He added that he hadn’t prepared a victory or concession speech, saying, “I’m not a Democrat. I can make a speech on very short notice.”
Meanwhile, Harris, the Democratic vice president, conducted phone interviews with radio stations in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada. If elected, she would be the first female president and has pledged to address economic concerns and other issues through bipartisan cooperation, without radically changing President Joe Biden's current policies.
Trump, the former Republican president, has vowed to overhaul the federal workforce by installing loyalists, imposing sweeping tariffs on both allies and adversaries, and initiating the largest deportation effort in U.S. history.
In Scranton, Pennsylvania, 74-year-old Liza Fortt arrived at her polling station in a wheelchair despite not feeling well, determined to vote for Harris.
“It means a lot to me and my grandkids, my granddaughters, my nieces... I was just waiting for this day to come,” said Fortt, who is Black. She shared that she never thought she’d see the day when she could vote for a Black woman in a presidential race.
Election Day Voting Runs Smoothly, Despite Minor Delays and Scattered Issues
Election Day voting proceeded smoothly across the nation on Tuesday, with only isolated reports of delays due to extreme weather, ballot printing errors, and technical issues.
By midday, most disruptions were “largely expected routine and planned-for events,” according to Cait Conley, senior adviser to the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), during a press briefing. She confirmed that the agency was not tracking any significant incidents impacting election security on a national scale.
In Pennsylvania, a swing state, early reports of Republican poll watchers being barred from some polling sites were quickly resolved. In Cambria County, a state judge ordered polls to stay open for an additional two hours after a software malfunction affected ballot-scanning machines. County officials reassured voters that no one had been turned away and confirmed that all ballots would be counted. Cambria County had voted 68% in favor of former President Donald Trump in 2020.
Phoney bomb threats that appeared to originate in many cases from Russian email domains targeted polling locations across several US states on Tuesday, the FBI said.
"None of the threats have been determined to be credible thus far," the FBI said in a statement, adding that election integrity was among the bureau's highest priorities. At least two polling sites targeted by the hoax bomb threats in the election battleground state of Georgia were briefly evacuated on Tuesday.
Those two locations in Fulton County both re-opened after about 30 minutes, officials said, and the county is seeking a court order to extend the location's voting hours past the statewide 7 pm deadline.
Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger blamed Russian interference for the Election Day bomb hoaxes.
"They're up to mischief, it seems. They don't want us to have a smooth, fair and accurate election, and if they can get us to fight among ourselves, they can count that as a victory," Raffensperger told reporters.
The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The FBI did not elaborate on which states received the threats, though one official told Reuters that Georgia alone received more than two dozen, most of which occurred in Fulton County.
The phoney bomb threats mark the latest in a string of examples of alleged interference by the Russians in the 2024 election.
On November 5, the United States held its Election Day to select the next president, with millions having already participated in early voting. The final votes were cast on Tuesday before polls closed.
In keeping with tradition, a small town in New Hampshire was the first to cast its ballots just after midnight (local time). The town, with a population of six, recorded an even split between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, with each candidate receiving three votes. As election results begin to roll in from various states, attention is focused on seven key battleground states that will ultimately determine the next president.
A key question surrounding the U.S. presidential election is the timing of the election results. Election Day has evolved into what is often referred to as an "election week," as each state has its own rules and practices for counting ballots. Legal challenges can also arise, potentially delaying the results.
Typically, vote counting begins as soon as polling ends in each state. The winner of the popular vote is declared once all votes are counted. However, it is not uncommon for a "projected" winner to be announced in one state while voting continues in another.
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