The first ballot boxes have closed in the heated presidential race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, but it may take days for the winner to be announced, as voters continue to line up to cast their ballots in many states across the country.
Voting ended at 6 pm local time in some polling stations in Indiana and Kentucky. In other parts of the two states, where Republican former President Trump is expected to win, voting will continue for an additional hour.
For months, the two candidates’ campaigns focused on seven swing states that will be decisive in determining the outcome of the elections: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Polls close at the state level at seven in the evening local time, including the state of Georgia. Trump won this state in the south of the country in 2016, while Joe Biden flipped it to the Democrats in 2020, and Harris hopes to keep it for her party.
Both Trump and Harris are competing to reach the 270 electoral votes needed in the electoral college to win the presidency. Trump may reach this number if he wins Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
On the other hand, Harris could lose Georgia and its 16 votes if she wins Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, which are three crucial states witnessing close competitions, according to opinion polls.
