A historic vote. American voters are called to the polls on Tuesday, November 5, to choose the future president of the United States. The 160 million registered voters, nearly half of whom have already voted early or by mail, must decide between two candidates neck and neck in the polls: former Republican President Donald Trump and the current vice-president. Democratic President Kamala Harris. The winner must obtain a majority of electors, i.e. at least 270 out of 538.
JD Vance, Republican candidate Donald Trump’s running mate, voted in Cincinnati, Ohio early Tuesday morning. Donald Trump must go to the polls in Florida, while Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent, has already sent her postal ballot. Follow our live stream.
The polling stations have opened. At 6 a.m. (local time on the East Coast, or noon in Paris), voters in eight states living on the East Coast of the United States were able to start voting. The gradual opening of offices in the States will end in Hawaii, at 6 p.m. French time.
Last meetings. “This could be one of the closest elections in history. Every vote counts,” Kamala Harris warned during her final major campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Monday. For his part, Donald Trump promised to “lead America and the world” towards “new heights” during his very last campaign rally in Grand Rapids (Michigan).
The “swing states” to watch. As in 2020, the American presidential election could be decided by a few tens of thousands of votes in a handful of particularly contested states. Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin lean neither for Kamala Harris nor for Donald Trump.
Other high-stakes ballots. In parallel with the presidential election, many other votes are being played out that day. Voters will have to renew the House of Representatives – the American equivalent of the French National Assembly – and a third of the seats in the Senate. In several states, they will also be invited to vote on subjects during referendums, including the question of the right and access to abortion.
