Mon Nov 04 14:33:26 UTC 2024: ## US General Election 2024: Polls Open Across the Country in a Tight Race

Millions of Americans will head to the polls on Tuesday, November 5th, 2024, to decide the fate of the nation in the hotly contested presidential election. Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican challenger Donald Trump are locked in a close race, with early voting already surpassing 70 million votes nationwide.

Polls will open in various states across six time zones, starting as early as 5am ET in Vermont and closing as late as 1am ET on Wednesday in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.

The election will also determine the fate of 34 US Senate seats, all 435 US House of Representatives seats, and 11 gubernatorial races, including those in crucial swing states like Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada.

Here is a breakdown of the key voting times and states to watch:

**Early Voting:**
* Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Alabama, Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, California, Nevada, Washington, Alaska.

**Key Swing States and Close Races:**
* **Georgia:** Polls close at 7pm ET. Trump disputed the 2020 election results in this state.
* **North Carolina:** Polls close at 7:30pm ET. Historically a Republican stronghold, North Carolina is considered a battleground state.
* **Pennsylvania:** Polls close at 8pm ET. A swing state that has been won by both Democrats and Republicans in recent elections.
* **Arizona:** Polls close at 10pm ET. Recently became a swing state, with Biden narrowly winning in 2020.
* **Michigan:** Polls close at 8pm ET. A swing state with a significant Arab American population.
* **Wisconsin:** Polls close at 8pm ET. A historically Democratic state that Trump narrowly won in 2016, before Biden reclaimed it in 2020.
* **Nevada:** Polls close at 11pm ET. A swing state that has been won by Democrats since 2008.

**Other Notable States:**
* **California:** Polls close at 11pm ET. Expected to vote for Harris, a California native and former US Senator.
* **Texas:** Polls close at 9pm ET. A traditionally Republican state with a growing Hispanic population.

As the election unfolds, the nation waits with bated breath to see who will emerge victorious in this historic race.

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