Polls are closing across the country as millions of people cast their ballots for the 47th president of the United States.
Early projections are showing Republican candidate Donald Trump winning in GOP strongholds as the race against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris pivots to the outcomes in battleground states that will likely determine who wins the presidency.
Early projections show Trump winning Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Harris is projected to win Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont, as well as Washington DC.
Preliminary results are imminently expected in Georgia and North Carolina — two crucial swing states that both candidates are hoping to carry them to electoral victory.
His predicted victory in Florida marks his third consecutive win in the state, nabbing its whopping 30 electoral votes, after Democratic former president Barack Obama carried the state in both 2008 and 2012.
He also is expected to win two of Nebraska’s electoral votes in its unique split electoral vote scenario, rather than the winner-take-all outcome in other states.
Media outlets are making their projections for each state’s winner as election workers count ballots and preliminary voting data is released.The Independent is relying on projections from the Associated Press.
Check back for live updates from The Independent.
Both candidates are gunning for 270 electoral votes, the golden number needed to secure the office of the presidency.
But it will likely take several hours for meaningful information to roll in. The first polling centers to close will shut their doors at 6 p.m. local time, while some polling centers will stay open until 8 p.m. local time, including many on the West Coast.
Experts previously told The Independent that the timeline for calling the race largely depends on two things: how close the election is in individual states and the specific laws of those states regarding counting votes and potential recounts, which all vary.
While outlets are expected to publish their final projections in the hours and days after November 5, their determination is only ever a projection. The election will be officially certified by Congress on January 6, 2025.
Voters ranked the state of democracy as their number one issue informing their voting decision, followed by the economy and , according to exit polls from Edison Research for media outlets in the National Election Pool.
Traditionally, exit polls are conducted via in-person interviews with voters outside of polling centers after they’ve cast their ballot. Pollsters are posted outside of voting centers ahead of and on Election Day. They also conduct phone and text surveys to reach voters who mailed in their ballots.
Senate and House races
West Virginia’s Republican Governor Jim Justice is projected to win a seat in the Senate, flipping a seat previously held by now-former Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, who is not seeking re-election.
Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida is also projected to defeat Democratic opponent Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
In Maryland’s Senate race, Democratic candidate Angela Alsobrooks defeated the state’s former governor Larry Hogan, an anti-Trump Republican.
Alsobrooks is set to become the first Black person the state ever elected to the Senate.
Only 34 of the nation’s 100 seats in the Senate are currently up for election, as senators serve six-year terms with a third being elected every two years. But all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election tonight.
The results will determine the balance of power in Congress, where Democrats hold the narrowest majority in the Senate and Republicans maintain a slim majority in the House.
Before this election, Democrats had 47 senators and four allied independents, while Republicans had 49.
Of the 34 seats up for grabs, 18 were previously held by Democratic senators, posing a threat to their slim majority.
Battling for the swing states
All eye are on the seven swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Together they hold 93 electoral college votes, without which neither presidential candidate can win the election.
Results will be refreshed live as they come in. Check back for updates.