Millions of Americans are casting their votes to elect the new President from among the Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic contender Kamala Harris. The polling began yesterday and as the country is divided into six time zones overall polls across the US will close at different times.
The voting in the states of Kentucky, Indiana, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and the swing state of Georgia are now reported to be closed.
The last closing of votes will be by 9:30 am Indian Standard Time (IST). Before the start of the voting yesterday, more than 82 million American voters had already cast their ballot , either through in-person voting or through postal ballot.
Meanwhile, the counting of votes has also begun in some states. Unlike most elections, US presidential races are decided not by the national popular vote but by the Electoral College. This means the election is essentially a contest across 50 states, with the winner of each state securing its electoral votes.
Forty-eight states award all their electoral votes to the winner, while Nebraska and Maine split theirs by both statewide and district vote totals.
The number of electoral votes in each state is based on population, giving the largest states the most influence in determining the outcome. A candidate needs 270 of the 538 electoral votes to win the presidency.
WhatsApp us