U.S. Presidential Election 2024 Live: U.S. Presidential Election 2024 Live: An election official hangs scanner tapes used in early voting at the Fulton County Election Center and Operations Center (AP Photo)

The race was very close, and some experts believe 60-year-old Kamala Harris may have a slight lead over 78-year-old Donald Trump in key states like Pennsylvania. During her campaign, Harris focused on issues important to many voters.

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He has promised to bolster the middle class, provide tax cuts to more than 100 million Americans, make housing affordable and protect women’s rights, especially regarding abortion.

Donald Trump has also made bold promises to boost the economy, lower energy costs, raise tariffs on foreign goods, especially Chinese, and launch a massive deportation plan for undocumented immigrants.

Pre-election polls showed that voters’ top concerns were inflation, job security, healthcare and the general state of the economy. While Harris framed the election as a struggle for fundamental freedoms and women’s rights in the final days of her campaign, Trump took a strong stance and signaled that he may not accept the election results if he loses.

As the ballot boxes opened, both candidates called on the public to vote. The first vote took place in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. As the polling stations began to close at different times during the day, security measures were increased in many cities to prevent possible violence.

Here are the highlights from the US election results

• Locked race: Polls continued to show a close race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
• Voting issues: Long lines in many states, software glitches in Pennsylvania and bomb threats (thought not credible) in Georgia delayed voting.
• Split communities: Arab, Muslim and progressive Americans faced a tough decision between two candidates seen as hostile to Palestine.
• Global Tracking: From Gaza to Iran, the world followed the US elections closely with concern, hope and doubt.

At their recent rallies, Harris and Trump offered very different visions for the country. While Harris spoke of unity and overcoming division, Trump warned of a dark future under Democratic leadership.

There are 50 states in the US, and most of them generally vote for the same party. There are a total of 538 electoral college votes, and a candidate needs 270 votes to win. If both candidates win the states that support them, Harris will still need 44 delegate votes while Trump will need 51 votes. This makes swing states in the Rust Belt, especially Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, crucial for both candidates.

In US politics, a swing state (also called a battleground state) is a situation in which both major parties (Democrats and Republicans) have equal or nearly equal support. This makes these states very competitive during elections, especially in presidential races.

When election results start coming in, Harris will be at Howard University in Washington, while Trump will host an election watch party at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in Florida. If Harris wins, she will make history as the first woman, first Black woman, and first person of South Asian descent to become President of the United States.