Polls Open in US Election: Who Will Shape America's Future?

As dawn breaks over the East Coast, polling stations in Vermont have officially opened at 5:00 a.m. ET, marking the start of the eagerly awaited 2024 US Election.

After weeks of intense rallies and close polling numbers, Americans will decide if the country’s next leader will be a history-making female president or a former president facing felony charges.

Over the next hours, polling locations in New York and Virginia will join, followed by thousands more across the U.S., opening doors to a voting population of roughly 160 million registered citizens. Voters won’t just be choosing the next president but also the makeup of the House and Senate in an election many have called “the most consequential” in U.S. history.

Key swing states—including Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania—are set to play a crucial role, as neither Trump nor Harris can secure victory through the popular vote alone. In the U.S. system, it all comes down to winning at least 270 of the 538 Electoral College votes.

This electoral process relies on the number of each state’s representatives in Congress, plus two electors for each state's senators. A rare tie would push the decision to the House of Representatives, a process that last occurred in 1825.

Early voting has already set records, with over 77 million ballots cast as of Sunday, according to AP News, in an electorate of over 230 million. But with opinion polls still showing a razor-thin race, neither candidate may have a clear lead by Tuesday night, and final results could take days. Trump, calling the 2024 election “the most important ever,” delivered his closing message in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a pivotal swing state, promising bold changes with a victory. Meanwhile, Harris, claiming “the momentum is on our side,” signed off her campaign in Philadelphia.

Polls are set to close between 7:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and 1:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, and the nation holds its breath for the results.

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