Surveillance drones hovered overhead and snipers on rooftops kept a close watch as millions of Americans headed to the polling stations on Tuesday in one of the tightest and most divisive US presidential elections in history.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump are locked in a dead heat nationally, with most polling showing them narrowly split by between one and three percent, well within the margin of error on most of the surveys.
Trump winning would make him the first incoming president to have been indicted and convicted of a felony.
Trump would also become only the second president in history to win nonconsecutive White House terms, after Grover Cleveland in the late 19th century.
Harris is vying to become the first woman, first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to reach the Oval Office.
Officials have implemented extensive security measures at polling and counting centres nationwide in a bid to ensure secure voting.
To further tighten security, additional police units have been dispatched to streets across the country.
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18:40 GMT — Man arrested for making threats at polling station in New York’s Fowler town
A man was arrested after making violent threats at a polling station in the town of Fowler, New York.
"An investigation determined a male who is a convicted felon attempted to vote, and his status indicated he was not re-registered since being released from prison," noted a statement by the state police, adding that the man became angry and began to make "threatening remarks such as burning the place down and returning with a firearm.''
''The police launched a search for the man, who fled the scene but was shortly apprehended.'' the statement said, noting that the investigation is ongoing.
18:13 GMT — Voting hours extended in Pennsylvania County hit by software glitch
A Pennsylvania court approved a request to extend voting hours in a strongly pro-Trump county after voting machines in the key swing state experienced an Election Day software glitch.
The ruling means the polls will stay open for an additional two hours in a county that broke roughly 70 percent to 30 percent in favour of Trump in 2020, in a pivotal state that could decide the outcome of this year's presidential race between Trump and his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris.
The case was brought by the local board of elections, who said a "software malfunction" at electronic voting machines had "prevented voters from scanning their completed ballots," according to court documents filed Tuesday.
In response, the Cambria County Court of Common Pleas ordered that voting hours be extended from 8 pm to 10 pm local time (0300 GMT).
18:00 GMT — An afternoon of brisk voting in Dearborn, Michigan
By early afternoon in Dearborn, Michigan, lines at the polls have kept moving steadily, and there’s an energy in the air that feels different.
Hassan and Bilal, two young Arab American residents, have just voted, and they shared with TRT World why this election feels personal.
They’re hoping their votes will count toward something bigger, especially with Israel's war in Gaza weighing heavily on their minds.
They didn’t say who they voted for, but their determination says it all; they’re here to make their voices matter. The atmosphere at Dearborn’s polling stations has been electric, with every vote cast feeling like a statement.
For many voters here, this election feels like a chance to stand up for something real. By the end of the day, the impact of Dearborn’s turnout may be more than just numbers—it could be a powerful reminder of how much a single vote can mean.
17:02 GMT — Donald Trump casts his ballot in Florida
US Republican presidential contender Donald Trump cast his ballot in Palm Beach, Florida.
Speaking to the press afterwards, Trump said he is "very confident" he will win the election."
"I ran a great campaign. I think it was maybe the best of the three. We did great in the first one. We did much better in the second one but something happened. I would say this is the best campaign we’ve run," he said, standing next to his wife, Melania Trump.
He said he would concede defeat "if it's a fair election".
17:30 GMT — US capital voters apprehensive about outcome
In Washington, DC, TRT World's Baba Umar said voting is going on smoothly in many polling stations but many voters are apprehensive about the outcome because both Trump and Harris are neck and neck.
Umar said some voters are still undecided and are waiting till evening to make a choice.
Outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, which has been turned into a polling station, Tiara, a 32-year-old single mother, has come with her three children to vote for Harris.
"Harris is a safer choice against a lot of things that Trump has warned against, especially for my son, he has autism and Trump is against children with disability.
Harris has a way better plans for us she will make living a lot easier for us," the Black woman told TRT World.
17:01 GMT — Biden is laying low at the White House on Election Day
US President Joe Biden has no public appearances on his schedule and his press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, won’t be holding her typical daily briefing.
16:41 GMT — Harris urges Americans to 'get out and vote'
Kamala Harris urged Americans to "get out and vote" on Election Day, particularly in battleground states, as her White House duel with Trump reached its climax.
"We've got to get it done. Today is voting day, and people need to get out and be active," she said on Atlanta station WVEE-FM.
15:05 GMT — Harris campaign stresses patience as votes are tallied
The seven battleground states have varying rules on when votes are counted, so it is expected to take some time before all votes are tallied in the key states that are expected to decide the razor-tight race.
“We’re going to be patient,” Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said during a Tuesday appearance on MSNBC.
“We’re going to be very focused on what’s happening in the early part of the night. But we know some of our bigger battleground states are not going to be fully tallied until later in the night or early in the morning."
O’Malley Dillon was hopeful that early turnout in Georgia and North Carolina was a positive sign for the Harris campaign.
14:55 GMT — Vance casts his ballot in Ohio
Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance voted in Cincinnati this morning.
“Look, I feel good. You never know until you know, but I feel good about this race,” Vance said after he and his wife cast their ballots.
Vance said he would depart for Palm Beach, Florida, later today to be with Donald Trump as results come in.
13:29 GMT — DC braces for potential election-related violence
Businesses around the White House continued to board up windows and erect temporary fencing, precautions being taken amid worries that Election Day — and the days ahead — could lead to unrest.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser says the police department is also stepping up its presence in commercial districts in all eight wards of the city.
Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith at a news conference also sought to assure the city’s residents that her department is prepared for whatever Election Day might bring.
"Our team has been fully engaged and vigilant," she said. "We are the best in the country at what we do, and we will keep working around the clock to keep Washington, DC, safe and keep our residents safe."
13:25 GMT — Most Florida voters cast their ballot before Election Day
When polls opened at 7 am local time in Florida, a majority of the state’s registered voters had already cast a ballot early — including voting by mail and early in-person voting, according to an analysis of state data by the University of Florida Election Lab.
Of those who waited to vote on Election Day, many were getting their civic duty out of the way early, according to elections officials.
In Orange County, home to the city of Orlando, more than 4,700 people voted in the first 20 minutes of polls being open, according to a social media post by the county elections supervisor’s office.
13:23 GMT — DNC rolls out Election Day ads to boost voter turnout
The Democratic National Convention has launched an Election Day persuasion campaign urging people to vote.
It includes more than 100 new billboards in battleground states, including 34 in Pennsylvania and 32 in Nevada, and 300 digital kiosks targeting college campuses in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.
In Pennsylvania, voters will see the ads in more than 1,700 convenience stores.
13:15 GMT — Over 4 million voters in Georgia cast early votes
The early turnout in Georgia, which has flipped between the Republican and Democratic nominees in the previous two presidential elections, has been so robust — over 4 million voters — that a top official in the secretary of state's office said the big day could look like a "ghost town" at the polls.
As of Monday, Associated Press tracking of advance voting nationwide showed roughly 82 million ballots already cast — slightly more than half the total number of votes in the presidential election four years earlier.
11:00 GMT — Polls open in eight US states
Eight states from the eastern US have opened polling stations, including those in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire and Virginia.
New Hampshire's township of Dixville Notch voted at midnight, continuing a long-standing tradition while splitting the six votes evenly, resulting in a tie.
The midnight voting tradition is believed to have originated to allow railway workers to cast their votes, as their work schedules prevented them from doing so during regular hours.
Almost all polling stations in Maine opened on time, though several municipalities with fewer than 500 residents may open later.
In states such as Indiana and Kentucky, polls have begun opening. However, some regions in these states will not open until 7 am.
10:00 GMT — Vermont becomes first US state to open polls
Americans begin voting in parts of Vermont, the US state bordering Canada, at 5 am local time.
Polls in different towns of the state open from 5 am to as late as 10 am.
The tiny New Hampshire resort town has a tradition dating back to 1960 of being the first in the nation to complete in-person voting.
The town’s six voters began casting their ballots on the stroke of midnight Tuesday and the vote count was complete 15 minutes later.
