After a months-long, bitterly-contested election campaign, the US elects the 47th President on November 5.
Donald Trump, former president from the Republican Party and Kamala Harris, Vice-President from the Democratic Party are running in the elections.
Voting began across the country at 6 am local time in each time zone and will end at 8 pm local time. The US has six time zones, of which four are on the US mainland while two are in US territories across the globe. More than 80 million Americans had already voted before the main election day (Nov 5), either via mail or in person. The counting of votes happens immediately after voting ends.
Kamala Harris advocates for stronger reproductive rights, restrictions on abortion and better healthcare. Donald Trump pushes for the reduction of inflation, job places and stricter immigration policy.
The US Presidential election is closely watched around the world as US’s policies have for long had a big impact on other countries.
If 60-year-old Kamala Harris, the first woman Vice President in US history, wins, she will become the first woman, first Black woman, first Indian-American, and first South Asian American to win the presidency.
On the other hand, if 78-year-old Donald Trump, the only US President to be impeached twice and the first to be criminally convicted, wins, he would become the first US President in more than a century to win non-consecutive terms.
Understanding Elections
The US follows the electoral college voting system. There are a total of 538 electoral college votes; 435 House of Representatives, 100 Senate seats and 3 seats from Washington DC. A candidate needs a minimum of 270 votes to become the President.
Every state has a certain number of electoral votes. California has the maximum number of seats with 54, followed by Texas (40) and Florida (30). On the other hand, states like North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, and Vermont have a minimum number of 3 seats.
Out of the total 50 states in USA, there are 7 which are considered battleground states or swing states. These are crucial for both candidates as these seven states alone have the potential to decide on who will be the next President. These states are – Nevada (6 seats), Arizona (11 seats), North Carolina (16 seats), Georgia (16 seats), Wisconsin (10 seats), Michigan (15 seats), and Pennsylvania (19 seats).
