In one of the most divisive presidential elections in the history of the United States, Americans are voting between two precariously divisive choices - incumbent President Donald Trump, and former Vice President in the Obama Administration Joe Biden.
Nearly 100 million people have already cast their ballots through early voting (both in-person and absentee ballots), putting this election on course for having the highest turnout in a century. Today’s vote in the foreground of the raging coronavirus pandemic, with the United States reporting 93,000 fresh cases on Monday alone.
National polls have given a clear lead to Biden (51.6 percent), with President Trump firmly lagging behind (43 percent); yet the battle for the White House is looking far narrower in the key states - making it likely that the outcome will be contingent upon a handful of swing states.
To be elected president, a candidate must win at least 270 votes in the electoral college, in which each state allocated votes on the basis of their population, with a total of 538 electoral votes up for grabs. As of yet, Biden is in a projected lead with 334 votes, and President Trump trailing behind with 169 votes.
Among the first swing states to begin election-day voting, across most major polls, Biden leads in Florida (+2.2pp), Pennsylvania (+5.0pp), Michigan (+8.6pp), North Carolina (+1.6pp), Arizona (+2.5pp) and Wisconsin (+7.4pp), while President Trump maintains leads in Iowa (+0.4pp) and Ohio (+2.0pp).
It can take several days for each vote to be counted after any presidential election, but there can be a clear winning candidate within the following hours. However, under the extraordinary circumstances of this election, officials have warned that the wait could be longer - days, or even weeks - due to the unprecedented surge in postal absentee ballots.
There are fears of post-election violence breaking out across the country, with President Trump reportedly aiming to declare victory on Tuesday night if he managed to gain a lead - especially in the key battleground states with higher delegates. The last time there was no clear result was during the Bush v Gore saga in 2000, when it took a Supreme Court ruling to formally confirm the result of the election almost a month later.
There are fears of post-election violence breaking out across the country, with President Trump reportedly aiming to declare victory on Tuesday night if he managed to gain a lead - especially in the key battleground states with higher delegates.
Follow our live coverage of the U.S. Presidential Election 2020 here.