Politics Trump or Harris? Election day in the USA has begun

It is the start of a historic election day: the first polling stations have opened in the USA. The Americans are not only voting on whether Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump will move into the White House.

Election night from November 5 to 6 could throw global politics even more off balance than before.

After all, it is not only the domestic political stability of the USA that is at stake, but also its future role in international alliances and transatlantic cooperation. Germany's and Europe's ties with the United States are huge in economic terms and even have existential dimensions in the area of defense.

Initial results: Tie in Dixville Notch

The first decision was made at midnight (local time): The small village of Dixville Notch in the state of New Hampshire announced a tie. Three votes each for Harris and Trump were announced on a hand-written board. The voter turnout was 100 percent.

The polling station in Dixville Notch has been opening at midnight on election day since 1960. As there are only six registered voters in the ski resort near the Canadian border, voting and counting are completed quickly. In the 2020 election, US President Joe Biden won here unopposed against Trump.

Even if the results in the small ski resort did not always reflect who ultimately became president, the result could be seen as a symbol of the close political race in the divided country. According to US media, the polls have rarely been as close as this time - and the outcome of the election is completely unpredictable.

Queues at the first polling stations

In the morning (local time), polling stations opened in larger cities and municipalities in the east of the country. They opened at 7 a.m. (1 p.m. CET) in Washington DC, for example, and an hour earlier in New York. Voters were also allowed to go to the polls in most of the "swing states", which are particularly contested and could decide the election - for example in North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and also in Arizona in the west of the country. Longer queues immediately formed at some polling stations.

Because the USA spans several time zones, polling stations are open for several hours. In the west coast state of California, you can cast your vote from 7 a.m. local time (4 p.m. CET). Hawaii and Alaska bring up the rear: here voters can vote until 6.00 a.m. CET on Wednesday, and in the Aleutian Islands - a group of islands in the North Pacific - an hour longer.

Almost 83 million voted early

However, many voters have already cast their ballots. Almost 83 million US citizens voted by mail or at polling stations that were open in advance by midday before election day alone, as reported by the Election Lab at the University of Florida. This corresponds to more than half of the total votes cast in the 2020 presidential election.

Big shows to close the campaign

Harris and Trump addressed everyone else with big closing rallies the night before the election. Harris appeared confident of victory in a meticulously planned, star-studded event in Philadelphia in the "swing state" of Pennsylvania. In front of the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the backdrop to the cult film "Rocky", the 60-year-old said: "Tonight we end it the way we started it, with optimism, with energy and with joy." She did not mention Trump's name - her speech lasted less than half an hour.

Just a short time later, Trump launched into a lengthy, angry monologue attacking his political opponents in front of a boisterous crowd in Grand Rapids in the "swing state" of Michigan. Of Harris, the 78-year-old said, "She has a very low IQ, and we don't need a low-IQ person. We've had this for four years. And our country is going down the drain."

Trump did not follow the wishes of his advisors to stick more to his speech manuscripts. Harris is "a radical left-wing nut job", he scolded. Trump's candidate for US Vice President, JD Vance, insulted Harris with drastic words: "We're going to take out the trash in Washington D.C., and the trash is called Kamala Harris," he said.

Fear of violence

It is no coincidence that Harris and Trump held their final rallies in Pennsylvania and Michigan. Pennsylvania is seen as potentially decisive - there are 19 electoral votes up for grabs here, more than in any other swing state. As in the vast majority of states it is foreseeable which party will secure victory, Democrats and Republicans are concentrating their election campaign on seven key states where the outcome is still open.

However, election day is not only awaited with excitement, but also with concern about riots or violence. In the capital, some shopkeepers barricaded their shop windows with wooden boards in the city center.

Trump once again sowed doubts about the integrity of the election and accused the Democrats of fraud. He never conceded his 2020 election defeat to Joe Biden. He appears to be preparing a similar narrative this year, claiming that only fraud could deprive him of victory.

Result may not be known for days

Trump is also fueling false expectations about the vote count. "We want the answer tonight," said the 78-year-old at the end of the election campaign. However, this is considered unlikely. The postal votes in particular are delaying the counting process. The first major polling stations on the east coast of the USA close at midnight German time. Unlike in Germany, there will be no prediction of the winner of the election.

In 2020, Biden was only declared the winner on Saturday, i.e. on day four after the election date. In contrast, many Americans had already learned of Trump's victory in 2016 when they got up the morning after the election.

The magic number 270

The US president is indirectly elected by the people. The votes of the electors decide the composition of the electoral college, which elects the president on their behalf in December. Each federal state has a certain number of votes, which is roughly based on the number of inhabitants.

The principle of "the winner takes it all" applies in almost all states: the candidate who wins there receives the votes of all the electors in the state. To enter the White House, a candidate ultimately does not need the most popular votes, but the majority of the 538 electoral votes - i.e. at least 270.

SDA