Donald Trump or Kamala Harris? The people of the USA can now vote for their next president!

Polling stations are open everywhere except in the far west, and security is tight. Polling stations in Washington D.C. have been open since 7:00 a.m. local time (1:00 p.m. CET), and voting started an hour earlier in New York. Voting also began in the so-called swing states, which are particularly contested, such as North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona. Long lines immediately formed in front of some polling stations.

As the USA has several time zones, polling stations take several hours to open. In the west coast state of California, it has only been possible to vote since 4:00 p.m. CET. Alaska and Hawaii are at the bottom of the list, where you can still vote until 6:00 a.m. CET on Wednesday.

Massive security precautions due to the election

The authorities have increased security precautions nationwide in response to fears of possible political violence during and after election day.  The precautions are particularly visible in the contested swing states such as Arizona and Nevada, where protests occurred in 2020. The election center in Phoenix, the capital of the US state of Arizona, resembles a bulwark - high iron fences, concrete barriers and armed officers.

The two presidential candidates, Republican Donald Trump and Democratic Kamala Harris, campaigned for votes one last time in large final rallies. In the swing state of Pennsylvania, Harris once again appeared confident of victory. "Tonight we end it as we began it, with optimism, with energy and with joy," said the 60-year-old. She did not mention Trump's name.

Meanwhile, Trump spoke to his supporters in the state of Michigan. He also denigrated Vice President Harris as a "person with a very low IQ" and called her a "left-wing radical lunatic."  "We've had that for four years. And our country is going down the drain."When will the winner be decided?

Harris and Trump have been in a neck-and-neck race for weeks. Because of the complex counting of mail-in and early voting votes, it may even take several days before a winner is decided. Around 80 million of the 244 million eligible voters have already cast their votes. But a decision on election night is also possible.