US election live: Trump goes after Michigan while Harris targets ...

Harris walks off stage to loud cheer

10 minutes agoTue 5 Nov 2024 at 5:01am

Harris says Pennsylvania result will sway the outcome of the election

28 minutes agoTue 5 Nov 2024 at 4:43am

Oprah Winfrey has arrived

36 minutes agoTue 5 Nov 2024 at 4:35am

The first in-person polls of the US election have opened in the small town of Dixville Notch in the state of New Hampshire.

With a population of just six registered voters this year, the voting process takes less than a minute.

The tradition of midnight voting in the town dates back nearly 65 years.

It's now very early in the morning in Michigan, where Donald Trump is due to speak at a rally.

We'll be bringing you more from Grand Rapids when Trump gets up to speak.

Any minute now...

Key Event

10m agoTue 5 Nov 2024 at 5:01am

That's it from Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

She wraps up by asking everyone to get to work — reach out to family members, friends and colleagues — to vote.

"Your vote is your voice and your voice is your power.

"So tonight I ask you one last time ... are you ready to make your voices heard? Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America?

"Are we ready to fight for it? Because when we fight, we win!"

Lady Gaga closes off the election eve rally with a mash-up of some of her famous songs, such as Edge of Glory.

Here's a little more of what Harris had to say in her final campaign pitch in Philadelphia:

"I have lived the promise of America and today I see the promise of America in everyone who is here. We are the promise of America.

"From the beginning of our campaign, it has been a fight for something, not against something.

"A fight for a future with freedom, opportunity and dignity for all Americans."

Key Event

28m agoTue 5 Nov 2024 at 4:43am

Harris is met with a loud roar.

She asks the crowd to say thank you to Oprah, and her husband, who spoke earlier on.

"America, it comes down to this. Just one more day in the most consequential election in our lifetime and the momentum is on our side.

"We are optimistic about what we can do together. We know it's a time for a new generation of leadership in America.

"I am ready to offer that leadership as the next president of the United States."

Harris also mentions that she realises the race isn't over yet and that every single vote matters.

"You will decide the outcome of this election, Pennsylvania.

"Make no mistake, we will win. And we will win because when you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for."

The crowd begins chanting, "We will win".

Key Event

36m agoTue 5 Nov 2024 at 4:35am

She is joined on stage by 10 first-time voters from Philadelphia, and asks them each why they're voting for Harris.

Here's part of the powerful speech she made:

"If we don't show up tomorrow it's entirely possible we will never have the opportunity to cast a ballot again.

"We are voting to defend and protect the constitution of the US.

"We are voting for values, integrity and the right to choose what happens to our own bodies.

"We are voting to save ourselves from this precipice of danger where we now stand."

Trump was supposed to address a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan about an hour ago.

But we haven't heard from him yet.

We're hearing he probably won't get on stage for another half an hour.

It's about 11:30pm in Michigan at the moment.

So by the time he takes to the stage it will have ticked over to voting day there.

Lady Gaga is on the piano singing a rendition of God Bless America.

Here's what she had to say:

"For more than half of this country's life, women didn't have a voice, yet we raised children ... supported men as they made the decisions.

"But tomorrow women will be a part of making this decision.

"Today I am holding in my heart all the tenacious women who made me who I am.

"I cast my vote for someone who will be a president for all."

Harris is focusing her final day of campaigning in Pennsylvania.

She's wrapped up a rally in Pittsburgh, the other major city in the state.

Now she will be making her final stop in Philadelphia ... joined by some very famous guests such as Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga.

Ricky Martin performed earlier with backup dancers, a horn section and his usual energy.

But why is Pennsylvania her last stop? Well, it's a blend in terms of voters and both candidates will be looking to win there.

We're still waiting for Donald Trump to speak at his rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

He was supposed to be up about half an hour ago.

His YouTube livestream is still showing this:

Kamala Harris is supposed to speaking in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in five minutes.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) says a Georgia poll worker was arrested yesterday for sending a letter to the Jones County Elections Superintendent threatening poll workers.

Nicholas Wimbish, 25, was serving as a poll worker at the Jones County election office when he allegedly had a verbal altercation with a voter. 

The DOJ says Wimbish sent a letter addressed to the Jones County Elections Superintendent the next day.

The letter was written to make it look like it came from the voter Wimblish allegedly had an altercation with, the DOJ says.

The letter also threatened that Wimbish and others "should look over their shoulder" and that "I know where they all live because I found home voting addresses for all them".

The letter concluded with a handwritten note, "PS boom toy in early vote place, cigar burning, be safe".

Wimbish was charged with mailing a bomb threat, conveying false information about a bomb threat, mailing a threatening letter, and making false statements to the FBI.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

More than 80 million ballots have been cast early either in person or by mail in the US election, according to the University of Florida.

National Political Reporter for The Hill and host of What’s America Thinking, Julia Manchester, has given a pretty frank summary of many people's feelings about this election:

“I think people just want this to be over, to be honest," she told Laura Tchilinguirian on ABC NewsRadio.

“Republicans and Democrats I talked to, it's just been such a chaotic election cycle, I think they just want this to be wrapped up.

"It's very fatiguing … and it's been very negative … so they’re looking forward to this wrapping up.”

Trump's last rally of the day is due to kick off in Grand Rapids, Michigan any minute now.

Harris will be speaking in about half an hour in Pennsylvania.

Hello US politics and election fans!

I'll be joining you now until later this evening alongside my colleague Dannielle Maguire.

Who's getting excited? Nervous?

To answer the above question: Polls will open on the east coast of the US at 9pm AEDT tonight. That's 6am EDT.

 Arizona is one of the key battleground states that could help determine this year’s election.

The desert state was once reliably Republican, but Joe Biden turned it blue last election with one of the smallest margins in the country: just 10,457 votes.

Recent polling suggests this election Donald Trump is holding a slight edge over Kamala Harris.

It may be in the very vague "uhh it's about lunchtime" window across Australia (if you're in WA and were looking for a sign from the universe to have your lunch early, here it is!) but it's getting pretty late on the east coast of the US.

Here are the four major time zones in the US:

Eastern Time (ET): 10pm

Central Time (CT): 9pm

Mountain Time (MT): 8pm

Pacific Standard Time (PST): 7pm

There's also Alaska Standard Time (AST) where it's 6pm and Hawaii Standard Time (HST) where it's 5pm.

The US government has a great website with a map that shows which states are in which time zones — it might come in handy in the next 24 hours.

On the map below red zone is ET, yellow is CT, green is MT and PST is orange.