Voters embrace calm before the storm in battleground states

Voting has begun successful the battleground states expected to determine who volition beryllium the adjacent US president - Vice-President Kamala Harris oregon erstwhile President Donald Trump.

Our correspondents connected the crushed are reporting that polling stations are calm and occasionally festive. Many person besides been astir empty, acknowledgment to this election's grounds level of aboriginal and mail-in voting.

In past elections, queues person gotten longer person to the times polls close. Of the 7 cardinal plaything states, Georgia volition adjacent polls first, astatine 19:00 EST (00:00 GST). They volition each wrapper up by 22:00 EST (02:00 GST), with occidental states closing later.

Polling successful the state's largest metropolis - Philadelphia - started this greeting with a festive atmosphere. A “DJ astatine the polls” blasted euphony for a agelong queue of mostly smiling voters, who bobbed their heads, nursed coffees and munched connected bagels extracurricular a religion downtown.

But determination were besides hiccups.

At City Hall, canvass workers had struggled with a stuck door, confusing a fistful of would-be voters. Polling booths determination were bare an hr aft opening.

The full state is watching however Pennsylvania, which went to Democrat Joe Biden successful 2020, volition formed its 19 electoral votes. Its premix of agrarian and municipality voters marque it highly competitive. Economics and termination issues are apical of caput here.

One happening to ticker for successful the results is whether Trump took a greater-than-anticipated stock of the state's Latino population.

-By Bernd Debusmann, Philadelphia

The wounds of Hurricane Helene are inactive earthy successful the occidental mountainous portion of the state.

A generator-powered structure has been installed arsenic a polling determination successful Buncombe County, aft the archetypal tract was damaged successful the September storm.

Roughly two-and-a-half hours aft North Carolina polls opened, 35 radical had voted here, Buncombe County’s communications manager said. This country had precocious aboriginal voting, beating the state-wide average.

The portion is dominated by Republicans, and whether oregon not voters amusement up present could marque a large interaction connected who takes the state's 16 electoral votes. Trump hardly won North Carolina successful 2020, by nether 2%.

Debra and Robert Kendrick, who were rescued by canoe aft Helene destroyed their section roads, some voted for Trump.

“It was an casual decision,” said Debra, lasting connected the mud-slicked gravel roadworthy extracurricular the tent.

Robert said migration is his apical concern.

“I’m conscionable gladsome we person a spot to beryllium capable to vote,” Robert said.

- By Brandon Drenon, Buncombe County

A tiny radical of voters trickled into the polling centre connected an abnormally lukewarm Election Day greeting successful Ann Arbor, with galore having already voted early. In the wide Washtenaw County, Harris is hoping for monolithic elector turnout to marque up for Trump’s expected wins successful agrarian areas.

Courtney Kutcher formed her ballot for Harris and believes women’s information could sway the choky contention toward the vice-president.

“For those of america who person daughters and young kids, there’s a batch connected the line,” she said.

In this "blue partition state," which went to Democrats for decades until Trump won it successful 2016, determination are galore antithetic populations who could determine which campaigner receives its 15 electoral votes. That includes Arab-Americans and others frustrated with the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the warfare successful Gaza arsenic good the state’s ample radical of unionised autoworkers.

Michigan went backmost to Democrats successful 2020.

- By Madeline Halpert, Ann Arbor

Outside of a polling presumption successful Atlanta, Georgia the temper is calm and joyful.

Although agelong lines person been a occupation successful the past, contiguous radical are successful and retired successful astir 4 minutes – an predetermination idiosyncratic tells maine it’s due to the fact that truthful galore radical voted early.

About 4 cardinal votes person already been cast, oregon astir 80% of the electorate if turnout is the aforesaid arsenic it was successful 2020, erstwhile Biden won the state. Republicans had taken the authorities going backmost to 2000 and Trump is hoping to get it backmost this clip around.

The authorities has strict rules astir what you tin and can’t bash portion voting. One pistillate who walked into the tract wearing a Harris-Walz run garment was asked to crook the garment wrong out.

But immoderate of the rules person been relaxed.

Last twelvemonth a tribunal struck a portion of the instrumentality that made it amerciable to walk retired h2o oregon nutrient to voters successful line. Today a non-partisan radical is giving retired nutrient and blasting euphony conscionable crossed the street. Their extremity isn’t to archer radical however to ballot – it’s conscionable to marque definite they do.

-By Angelica Casas, Atlanta

Voters person been trickling into locations astir Milwaukee dilatory and steadily.

There’s a DJ pumping retired tunes for radical waiting successful enactment wrong the Highland Gardens flat analyzable . When I inquire 1 of them, Kornisha Lymon, whether she’s enthusiastic astir voting, she looks astatine maine similar I’m crazy.

“You spot maine dancing?” she says. “We’re feeling it!”

Kornisha is casting her ballot for Harris. To triumph Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes the vice-president needs a large turnout successful majority-black neighbourhoods similar this one. Biden carried the bluish partition authorities with a borderline of little than 1%.

Veteran governmental perceiver Michael Wagner of the University of Wisconsin told maine Democrats were feeling enthusiastic astir their get-out-the-vote efforts state-wide, and besides that the run has shifted successful caller days.

“There’s little grounds of the crushed crippled being beardown from the Trump campaign,” helium says.

But Wisconsin is inactive precise overmuch a tossup.

Wagner suggested polls could beryllium undercounting young women – but mightiness besides beryllium undercounting young achromatic men without a assemblage education.

“They typically ballot for Trump,” helium said.

-By Mike Wendling, Milwaukee

In the plaything authorities of Arizona, there’s a dependable watercourse of voters filing into South Mountain High School successful Phoenix.

Several voters I chatted with present archer maine they were connected the obstruction astir voting and said they didn’t similar either campaigner for president.

Walking retired of the voting centre, Krystle Colter tells maine she was torn.

“I don’t privation to ballot for either of them,” she said astir Trump and Harris.

She said aft talking with family, she decided connected Harris implicit measures that she says support lower-income families and azygous mothers.

Abortion was besides a hard contented for her. There is simply a question this twelvemonth connected the ballot successful the authorities connected whether termination rights should beryllium enshrined successful the state’s constitution.

“It’s hard due to the fact that I don’t judge successful termination for the astir part,” she explained to me. “But erstwhile idiosyncratic has been raped oregon it’s incest, I conscionable can’t ideate that. If I were successful that concern it would beryllium hard to beryllium forced to person a child.”

-By Christal Hayes, Phoenix

Nevada has attracted its just stock of canvassers from neighbouring California, wherever the Democrats are each but definite to win.

Pro-Harris Californians were among 150 volunteers and staffers astatine a canvassing lawsuit successful East Las Vegas precocious Monday.

"I had to enactment myself physically into the enactment and not conscionable constitute cheques oregon reason implicit meal tables," said Peter Brock of Fairfax, California.

He said he's noticed there's a batch of predetermination fatigue among radical he's met knocking connected doors. Some residents told him they've been visited by canvassers from some parties much than once.

Six electoral votes bent successful the balance.

In the sunbelt of the United States and location to immense swaths of godforsaken and ranch-land, Nevada has gone for Democratic candidates successful the past six statesmanlike elections. But successful 2020, Biden bushed Trump by conscionable 35,000 votes.

The system this twelvemonth has been a cardinal contented for voters, who regularly mention ostentation and lodging affordability arsenic concerns.

Trump’s “No Tax connected Tips” connection has resonated with immoderate voters. Harris has meantime expressed enactment for the idea, though she would similar to spot it paired with the archetypal national minimum wage summation since 2009.

Reproductive rights are besides expected to thrust voters to the polls. This predetermination has Nevadans deciding connected Question 6, which proposes making termination entree a close enshrined successful the state’s constitution.

-By Lily Jamali, Las Vegas