Americans head to the polls in one of the most disputed elections in the United States in recent times. The nation will choose between the current vice president and Democratic candidate, Kamala Harrisand the former Republican president donald trumpwho governed from 2017 to 2021.
The first to exercise their right to vote have been the inhabitants of Vermontin the northeast of the country, where the voting centers opened between 05:00 local time (10:00 GMT) and 10:00 a.m. (15:00 GMT). At 06:00 local time (11:00 GMT), the polling stations in six other states also began their operations: Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, New Jersey, New york and Virginia. Half an hour later, it was the turn of Ohio, Virginia Western and North Carolinathe latter considered a key state to define who will be the next tenant of the White House.
As this Tuesday morning progressed, at 12:00 GMT, voting began in most of the centers in the District of Columbia and in 17 states covering different schedules. These states include Alabama, Delaware, Florida, New Hampshire, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Wyoming, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Later, at 1:00 p.m. GMT, voting centers have opened in another ten states that are also at different times: Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin . Half an hour later, the centers in Arkansas will begin their activity, and at 2:00 p.m. GMT it will be the turn of six other states: Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. The last to open their doors will be California and Idahoat 15:00 GMT, followed by Washington and Alaska at 16:00 GMT, and finally Hawaii, which will open at 17:00 GMT.
Trump and Harris fight a very close race
Polls indicate a very close race between Harris and Trump. At the national level, the Democratic candidate has a slight advantage of just over one percentage point, obtaining 48% support compared to Trump’s 46.8%, according to the average of polls on the FiveThirtyEight website.
Both Trump and Harris require at least a 270-vote majority
However, Americans do not elect their next president through popular vote, but rather They select a group of electors in each state. These electors form the Electoral College, which is the person in charge of deciding who will occupy the White House. This body is made up of 538 delegates, and to win the presidency, both Trump and Harris require at least a majority of 270 votes.
Most states have already determined whether they will support Harris or Trump, which means that elections will be decided in only seven key states. In these states, polls also show a very close race: Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada.
244 million people called to the polls
Approximately 244 million Americans are called to the polls in these elections. Of this total, 80 million have already exercised their right to vote earlyeither in person or by mail, depending on the count made by the University of Florida. In addition to the president, Americans will vote this Tuesday to elect the 435 members of the House of Representatives and a third of the Senate.
Voting will also be held to elect several governors and numerous mayors, as well as state legislatures. Besides, voters will decide on citizen initiativeswhich include proposals for protect the right to abortion or, on the contrary, impose more severe restrictions in ten states.
#United #States #citizens #polls #closest #elections #years
