US election 2024: Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump as voters head to poll today; when will we know who won?

US election 2024: The election day is only hours away, and Americans will soon walk to their polling stations to vote on Tuesday. The hours of opening and closing differ from state to state. In addition, 15 states are divided into two time zones. According to CBS News, the states will begin releasing poll results once polls close in the region.

A few hours before the United States presidential elections 2024, all eyes are on the tight race between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican contender Donald Trump, who are holding rallies in Pennsylvania on Election Day eve and touring other swing states.

According to Reuters, Harris has high support among female voters, but Trump is gaining headway with Hispanic voters, particularly men. While Trump hopes to return to the White House following his disastrous exit in 2020, Harris is positioning herself as a history-maker by seeking to be the country's first woman president.

Kamala Harris (Democratic Party)

Harris, 60, received the Democratic Party's nomination when Biden withdrew his reelection bid, allowing Democrats to showcase a renewed American vision in contrast to Trump's agenda as they strive to revive its coalition of young voters, people of colour, and suburban women.

A former United States senator, California attorney general, and San Francisco prosecutor, Harris became the first woman and person of colour to serve as vice president when Biden chose her as his 2020 running partner. If she succeeds, she will become the country's first woman President in its 248-year history.

According to opinion polls, Harris and Trump are in a close battle. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on October 29, she leads the former president by 44% to 43% nationally.

Other polls show Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, in close contests in seven key states that might decide the election: Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, Michigan, and Nevada.

Harris has made reproductive rights and personal freedoms a rallying cry, and he supports a national law that would codify access to safe abortion.

Her economic plans include tax cuts for the majority of Americans, an end to price gouging, more affordable housing, a new child tax credit, and initiatives that encourage local manufacturing. She proposed raising corporate tax rates from 21% to 28% and eliminating tip taxes.

She has vowed stricter immigration and fentanyl controls at the border. Her opinions on the environment and energy are similar to those held by Biden, who has made fighting climate change her top concern.

Donald Trump (Republican Party)

Trump, 78, won the Republican nomination in July to run for president for the third time after losing his reelection campaign in 2020.

Trump continues to repeat his false claim that Democrats stole the 2020 election as he campaigns amidst unprecedented legal hurdles, including a new US indictment for attempting to subvert his loss to Biden.

From 2017 to 2021, he framed his indictments in four criminal cases as a political attack, promising "retribution" against perceived opponents and adopting increasingly dystopian rhetoric.

In May, Trump became the first former President of the United States to be convicted of a crime in New York City. He was also the first president to face impeached twice. He denies all misconduct.

Trump, who chose Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate, has refused to commit to accepting the 2024 election results or rule out political violence, even as he and Republicans prepare to battle a likely loss. His unfounded claims about voter fraud in battleground Pennsylvania have generated concerns that if he loses, he may try to overturn the results again.

When is the result expected?

In some presidential campaigns, the winner has been announced late on election night or early the next morning. This time, the tight contest in several states could require media outlets to wait longer before anticipating who will win.

Democrat Kamala Harris, the current vice president, and Republican Donald Trump, the former president, have been neck and neck for weeks.

Narrow victories could also result in recounts. In Pennsylvania, for example, a state-wide recount would be required if there is a half-point difference in votes cast for the winner and loser.

Legal challenges are also possible. Republicans have already filed over 100 pre-election lawsuits, challenging voter eligibility and voter roll management.

Other factors that could create delays include any election-related disruption, particularly at polling stations.

On the other hand, vote-counting has been sped in several locations, including the critical state of Michigan, and significantly fewer votes will be cast by mail than in the previous election, which occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.