Its election day in the US and voters will decide who will be the 47th President of United States of America and Commander-in-Chief.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump each need to acquire at least 270 electoral votes to win the day.
The key battleground 'swing' states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are all essential and probably pivotal to victory.
Polls opened on the east coast at 11am Irish time this morning.
The two candidates held their final campaign rallies in battleground states. Harris in Pennsylvania, while Trump spoke in Michigan — where he's ended all three of his presidential campaigns.
It's a complicated old system though.
Voters cast their ballots for competing slates of “electors” who in turn cast the actual votes for president and vice president on December 17th.
Electors from all 50 states and the District of Columbia in Washington are referred to the “Electoral College.”
The presidential candidate who wins the popular vote on does not necessarily win the White House. For that to happen, a candidate must win a majority of Electoral College votes.
A total of 538 Electoral College votes are divided among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Each state's electoral votes are based on updated population counts. Thirteen states will have a different number of electoral votes than they did in the last presidential election.
Trump argued during the final rally of his campaign that his real opponent was not Vice President Kamala Harris but instead “an evil Democrat system.”
During his rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that began well after midnight, he blustered: “We will defeat the corrupt system in Washington. Because I’m not running against Kamala, I’m running against an evil Democrat system. These are evil people.”
Trump told his delirious fanbase: “The silent majority is back and tomorrow you need to get out and vote.”
“This has been an incredible journey, all we were doing is putting ourselves in a position to win, which we can do tomorrow very easily if we show up,” he added.
Meanwhile at her final engagement in Philadelphia on Monday night, Vice President Kamala Harris urged voters to make their voices heard, saying Pennsylvania could “decide the outcome” of the election.
“The race ain’t over yet, and we must finish strong. This could be one of the closest races in history. Every single vote matters,” she said.
“With only a few hours left, we still have work to do, and as you’ve heard me say before, we like hard work,” she added.
Her followers broke into cheers of “We will win” and “We’re not going back.”
Harris reiterated campaign promises, on lowering the cost of living, housing, childcare, elderly home care, and taxes while she also vowed to pass a bill to restore reproductive freedoms after the rolling back of Roe v. Wade.
I’m asking for your vote because as president, I will get up every day and fight for the American people. pic.twitter.com/lp4bj90zvn
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 2, 2024
MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! https://t.co/czQRkZmr59 #FightForAmerica pic.twitter.com/KT1SzCpQpt
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 4, 2024
