Trump or Harris? Millions of Americans decide who will be the next president US News

Voters in 50 states are preparing to cast their ballots after a closely contested US election race in which Donald Trump or Kamala Harris becomes president.

In the last few hours both candidates gave their final pitches. “The momentum is on our side” Ms. Harris said to a crowd in Philadelphia, who chanted back, “We’re going to win.”

“Then tonight we will finish what we started: with optimism, with energy, with joy,” she said, enjoying the support of celebrities that day Katy Perry, Lady Gaga And Jon Bon Jovi.

Latest updates on the US election

In contrast, Mr. Trump ended his campaign in Michigan, repeating key messages on the economy and immigration.

A handful of states will play a crucial role in determining the election outcome. Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin hold the keys to the White House.

To become president, the winning candidate needs 270 electoral votes or more, with each state having a different number of votes.

However, the focus was on Pennsylvania, which has the most swing states with 19 electoral votes.

It's been a remarkable journey for both candidates – Mr Trump survived two assassination attempts and Ms Harris wasn't even originally in the race.

For more than a year, the 2024 presidential election seemed set for a rematch between Joe Biden and Mr Trump – but a disastrous TV debate by Mr Biden finally forced him to withdraw his ticket.

The Democratic Party The decision to replace Mr Biden with his running mate changed the race and shifted the polls in Ms Harris's favour. But only just.

Many polls are too close to make a prediction and most experts refuse to predict the outcome due to the large margin of error.

Read more:
Ballots abroad face legal challenges
They choose the new president
Should we fear Trumponomics?

Later, attention will turn to battleground states, including Georgia, which will be among the first polling stations to close at 7pm local time (midnight UK time).

State election officials told Sky News they could have a result as early as 10pm (3am UK time).

Still, it could be several days before the U.S. has a final result.

Voters don't just elect a president. In addition, ten states will hold votes on abortion, half of which would repeal existing restrictions.

Predict who you think will win in each swing state, and we'll tell you who the president will be if you're right.

Tonight, Sky News will have access to the most comprehensive election polling and vote counting results from every state, county and population group across America via its US partner network NBC.

You can find out more about Sky News' coverage here.