Battle for White House reaches to final stage as voting beings in US states

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are battling for seven crucial swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, the “blue wall” states that Trump won in 2016 but were taken by President Joe Biden in 2020, as well as Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina in the Sun Belt region.

Election Day commenced on November 5, 2024, following an extraordinary and, for many, unsettling presidential race that could either position Kamala Harris as the first female president in U.S. history or facilitate a comeback for Donald Trump that might reverberate globally.

A Trump victory, meanwhile, would make him the second president, after Grover Cleveland, to serve non-consecutive terms, marking a return after twice being impeached and as the first former president convicted of felony crimes.

On Election Day, five states—Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota—are also set to vote on amending their constitutions to counter abortion bans. In the Senate, Republicans aim to capitalize on a favorable map with Democrats defending seats in traditionally Republican states like Montana, Ohio, and West Virginia. In the House, Democrats are fighting to retain a slim majority, with key districts stretching from Maine to California.

Election results might not be immediately clear as vote-counting processes differ across states, particularly with mail-in and early voting ballots.

Seven key states are likely to determine the race’s outcome, as Americans have become accustomed to tight presidential races. These states, especially Arizona and Georgia, which flipped for Biden in 2020, and the “blue wall” states that Trump cracked in 2016, will be closely watched. For Harris, repeating Biden’s “blue wall” wins would likely secure the Oval Office. If Trump can retake Pennsylvania, he could reach the needed 270 votes if he also wins Georgia and North Carolina.

“Mirages” in vote counts may occur, such as a “red mirage,” where early results show Republican leads due to certain voting methods being counted first. States like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where mail-in ballots can only be processed on Election Day, could experience delays, which contributed to Biden’s 2020 advantage in late-counted votes. Changes in states like Georgia and North Carolina since 2020 may affect how quickly results are reported, with North Carolina likely seeing an early “blue mirage.”

Early signs will come from key House races in states like Virginia and New York, which could provide insight into national trends. Virginia’s 7th Congressional District and swing seats in New York will be particularly watched as indicators of broader political momentum.

In the Senate, Republicans are favored with Democratic seats up for grabs in West Virginia, Montana, and Ohio. Republicans need only a single additional seat to gain a Senate majority. In the House, Democrats need a net gain of four seats to regain control, a task that hinges on districts where Republicans made gains in 2022.

There is speculation that Trump might declare victory early, as he did in 2020, potentially complicating the election outcome. The timeline for counting votes, especially mail-ins that arrive after Election Day in states like California and New York, could mean that final results aren’t immediately available, particularly in states that count ballots postmarked by Election Day but received in the following days.

Both campaigns will keep a close watch for any voting issues, with Trump’s team prepared to scrutinize these as potential evidence of wrongdoing—a continuation of claims he made in 2020 that Democrats were engaging in unfair practices.