Trump takes early lead in election count as polls close with battleground states still up for grabs

Millions of voters went to polling stations across the country on election day, some waiting in long queues while others went quickly through

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. AFP

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Donald Trump took an early lead in the electoral vote count on Tuesday night, with the Republican former president projected to win 230 to Democrat Kamala Harris's 210, according to the AP.

Results were still coming in after polling stations in the eastern time zone closed at 7pm and others closed later.

Millions of voters headed to polling stations on election day, some waiting in long queues while others went quickly through. About 82 million people voted early.

Mr Trump cast his ballot in Palm Beach, Florida, saying in a post on his Truth Social network that election day “will be the most important day in American history”. Ms Harris, meanwhile, said on Monday she had already mailed her ballot to California.

The US Vice President helped out at a phone bank hosted by the Democratic National Committee in Washington, where she thanked volunteers for their work on the campaign. "This truly represents the best of who we are,” Ms Harris told the supporters making calls.

Her Republican rival, meanwhile, urged voters in a video posted to social media to "stay on line". "Vote – we're going to win it big," he said in the video, posted on X.

An exit poll conducted by CNN showed nearly three quarters of voters are dissatisfied or angry with the current state of the US.

The CNN poll, which included early and in-person voters, showed that 72 per cent of the electorate were angry or dissatisfied, while 58 per cent disapproved of Joe Biden's presidency. Only 26 per cent of respondents said they were satisfied or enthusiastic about the way things are going in the US.

An exit poll by NBC showed that 35 per cent of voters said the state of democracy mattered most to their vote – more than the economy, at 31 per cent.

Mr Trump appears to have made huge gains in support among Latino voters since 2020, exit polls have shown. The traditionally Democratic voting bloc still leans towards Kamala Harris over Mr Trump nationwide, at 53 per cent to 45 per cent, respectively, according to NBC. But crucially, Mr Trump was polling at only 32 per cent among Latinos in 2020.

While there was a general sense of calm in most places, law enforcement officials were on high alert for interference. The FBI warned of bomb threats at polling stations in “multiple” US states, saying none were credible but that many appeared to originate in Russia. The agency urged the public to “remain vigilant”.

Voting was extended at some Georgia polling stations after fake bomb threats.

Republican leaders have fuelled alarm over the possibility of vote fraud and concern over potential civil unrest is high, following the US Capitol riot in early 2021.

Mr Trump, who claimed for years that the 2020 election was stolen from him and has said the only way Ms Harris will win is if Democrats “cheat”, posted an unsubstantiated claim on his Truth Social platform that there was “massive CHEATING in Philadelphia”. City leadership said in response that there is “no truth to this allegation”.

He also said that there was “law enforcement coming” to address the alleged voter fraud, but the Philadelphia Police Department told CNN that it was not aware of what Mr Trump was referring to.

As the results roll in, the Trump campaign is holding watch parties at Mar-a-Lago as well as an event centre in Palm Beach. The Harris, meanwhile, is hosting an event at the Vice President's alma mater, Howard University, in Washington.

The Harris campaign had emailed staff on Monday, telling them to "get ready to close out strong tomorrow". Jen O’Malley Dillon, Ms Harris's campaign manager, said: "As we have known all along, this is a razor-thin race ... the closeness of the race is exactly what we prepared for."