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US Presidential Election 2024 LIVE: Millions of Americans head to the polls in the final race for the White House
5 November 2024, 06:00 | Updated: 5 November 2024, 08:17
Election day has finally arrived, with Kamala Harris and Donald Trump putting in a last ditch effort across key swing states, as Americans head to the polls.
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Ms Harris spent the run-up to election day in Pennsylvania, delivering her final rousing rally speech that featured guest appearances from Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey and notably, Ricky Martin.
The Puerto Rican came out in support of Harris following controversial slurs made by comic Tony Hinchcliffe, labelling it an 'island of garbage' at a recent Trump rally.
Harris led with a final message of unity in Pennsylvania overnight, telling crowds: "I pledge to listen to people who disagree with me. Because, you see, I don't believe that people who disagree with me are the enemy. I'll give them a seat at the table. That's what real leaders do. That's what strong leaders do."
Meanwhile, Trump made his final rally appearance in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with the Republican candidate claiming he was already ahead by hundreds of thousands of votes.
It came as he secured major backing from controversial podcaster Joe Rogan during the closing hours of his campaign, ahead of rallies in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, before one final campaign event in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
And with the pair separated by a razor-thin margin, 2024 election day is set to be one for the history books.
Follow our live blog for the latest updates and analysis as we head into election day.
You can also join Shelagh Fogarty, Jon Sopel, and our teams across the US for comprehensive election updates and analysis through the night on America Decides. Watch live on Global Player from 10pm on Tuesday.
Trump shares final appeal to Americans to get out and vote
LBC's Henry Riley reflects on Trump's final rally
Harris joined by stars for final rally
Kamala Harris was joined by several famous faces for her final rally.
She was joined by Oprah Winfrey, who led her to the speaker's lectern, as well as Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin and Puerto Rican rapper Fat Joe.
"We finish as we started," Harris said, "with optimism, with joy, knowing we the people have the power to shape our future and confront any challenge when we do it together."
She did not refer to Trump by name at all at the event, only calling him "the other guy".
Trump closes final rally
Trump finished his final rally in the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan just after 7am (2am local time).
As the event came to an end, he was joined by children on stage who paid tribute to him and encouraged everyone to vote.
He said: "In conclusion, with your vote we're going to fire Kamala and we're going to save America.
"We will cut your taxes and inflation, slash your prices, raise your wages and bring thousands of factories back to America and back to Michigan and a lot of it will be using my favourite word - tariff."
Trump channels The Apprentice during final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Mr Trump has accused Ms Harris of "destroying" the US and calls her a "terrible vice president".
During his final Grand Rapids rally, the Republican took to the stage to take swipes at his opponent - and continued to speak almost three hours after the rally first began.
He said: "Kamala, you're horrible at your job.
"You don't know what you're doing. You're a low IQ individual," he says.
He then references his time as host of The Apprentice, saying: "Kamala, you're fired! Get the hell out of here."
New Hampshire town of Dixville Notch splits the vote
The first in-person votes have been cast - and declared, in the small New Hampshire town of Dixville Notch.
The small town has a tradition dating back to 1960 in which the town comes out to place their ballots in a wooden box shortly after polls open at midnight.
The town has only six registered voters.
The results were announced just minutes later.
The result? A tie.
Three votes for Trump. Three votes for Harris.
The polls opened at midnight and closed at 12:07 a.m. ET after all voters cast their ballots.
Polls ready to open across the US
Election day is finally here, with polls across the US open to voters ahead of what's set to be a nail-biting race for the White House.
The first polls to open will be across the East Coast in Vermont, with certain locations opening at 5 a.m. ET (10am GMT).
It's followed by polling stations across five more states, which are set to open at 6 a.m. ET (11am GMT).
'That's what real leaders do': Harris makes final call to US voters in Philadelphia
Standing before the large crowd in Philadelphia, Harris delivered a rousing final campaign speech that centred around unity rather division.
"I am asking for your vote. And here is my pledge to you: As president, I pledge to seek common ground and common-sense solutions to the challenges you face," Harris told the crowd.
"I pledge to listen to those who will be impacted by the decisions I will make. I pledge to listen to experts. I pledge to listen to people who disagree with me.
Because, you see, I don't believe that people who disagree with me are the enemy. I'll give them a seat at the table.
"That's what real leaders do. That's what strong leaders do."
US election day arrives - with swings states set to be pivotal
Voters across 50 US states are poised to cast their ballot over the course of today - that's if they haven't already.
As mentioned, some 81 million Americans have already cast their ballots.
It's been a hard-fought US election campaign, with a handful of states set to play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the 2024 US election.
Experts believe seven key states hold the key to the White House - Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Early voting passes 81 million mark
Early voting in America has now surpassed 81 million, reports the University of Florida Election Lab.
So far, voters have cast 81,379,684 early ballots, including:
44,402,375 in-person votes
36,977,311 returned mail ballots
This year’s early voting total falls short of the 101.5 million early ballots cast in 2020, when COVID concerns kept many away from polling places.
However, it’s still well above the early voting numbers from 2016 (47.2 million) and 2012 (46.2 million).
