US election 2024: Americans head to the polls after gruelling campaign season

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump offer vastly differing visions for the future

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An extraordinary US presidential election campaign comes to a head on Tuesday, as millions of American voters decide if it will be Vice President Kamala Harris or former president Donald Trump who will be moving into the White House in January.

Both candidates campaigned up to the last possible minute as they offered starkly differing visions for America, blitzing the seven swing states that will decide the outcome of the election and holding back-to-back rallies as they sought to convince voters to turn out to support them.

Opinion polls have shown the race is a toss-up, with Mr Trump and Ms Harris tied in most surveys. Unlike in previous election years, this campaign's focus has been on US foreign policy as wars rage in the Middle East and Ukraine.

This election has been defined by shock moments and even after the polls close the drama is likely to continue. Mr Trump, who in 2020 refused to concede after losing to Democrat Joe Biden by seven million votes, has promised to challenge results that do not go his way.

The exhausting election cycle, which got under way after the 2022 midterm elections, included historic events such as the July 13 attempted assassination on Mr Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. That came only weeks after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race after a disastrous debate performance revealed the extent of his cognitive decline. And in May, Mr Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts in a hush money scheme.

The 2024 election will also be remembered for the divergent visions for America offered by the two candidates. Mr Trump has painted a bleak picture of a declining nation overrun by immigrants that only he can protect. Ms Harris has sought to sound a brighter, more unifying tone.

Ms Harris has lost a large chunk of the Democrats' normally reliable support from Arab Americans thanks to her unflinching backing of Israel as it bombs Gaza and Lebanon. Mr Trump, meanwhile, has been quick to exploit the frustration, making repeated overtures to Arab Americans by promising to bring peace, without providing details.

At a last-minute rally in Michigan late on Sunday, Ms Harris addressed the situation in the Middle East and said the past year had been “devastating”.

“As president, I will do everything in my power to end the war in Gaza, to bring home the hostages, end the suffering in Gaza, ensure Israel is secure and ensure the Palestinian people can realise their right to dignity, freedom, security and self-determination,” she told the crowd in East Lansing.

The leading issues this election are the economy, immigration and abortion. Even though unemployment is down, stock markets are performing well and inflation is cooling, Americans are still furious about post-pandemic price increases.

The conservative-packed Supreme Court in 2022 overturned the federal right to an abortion, something Mr Trump took credit for. He has also said women should face “some form of punishment” if they get an abortion, a stance that could impact on his support among women voters.

Another issue is democracy itself. Ms Harris has warned that her rival wants to shred the US Constitution, rule like a dictator and has expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler and his Nazi generals. But a poll commissioned by The National suggests this issue might not be resonating with a critical mass of voters, with only one in 10 respondents listing it as a top concern.

Nearly half of America's electorate have cast an early ballot, with slightly more votes coming from registered Democrats than Republicans. But Republicans typically turn out in force on election day itself, so it is difficult to read too much into the early numbers.

Mr Trump is laying the groundwork to once again contest results if he loses.

He has begun spreading misinformation about the voting in Pennsylvania, claiming “fake ballots” and “cheating” as he seeks to sow doubt over any defeat he might face there, in a foreshadowing of chaos that may come after polls close. One of his former top advisers, Steve Bannon, who was released from prison last week, wants Mr Trump to declare victory soon after polls close on Tuesday, even if the results are not clear.

Despite no evidence of any meaningful election cheating in the US, Mr Trump claimed that Democrats in Pennsylvania “are fighting so hard to steal this damn thing”.