Polls open in U.S. presidential election

NEW YORK, US - NOV. 05, 2024: Millions of Americans are starting to cast their ballots Tuesday, Nov. 05, as polling stations begin to open across the US with the future of the American presidency coming down to a nail-biter race between Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump.The first polls began to open at 5 a.m. Eastern Time (1000GMT) in some parts of Vermont, but the first major wave of openings happened at 6 a.m. Eastern (1100GMT) with stations opening their doors in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia, as well as parts of Kentucky and Maine.North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia open at 6.30 a.m. Eastern Time (1130GMT).Additional waves of openings will roll out across the US as the day goes on, with polls opening last in the state of Hawaii at noon Eastern Time (1700GMT). Closures will begin in some states at 7 p.m. Eastern (0000GMT Wednesday), with Alaska remaining open the longest, until 1 a.m. Eastern Time Wednesday (0600GMT).Anyone who is in line at the time polls officially close will be allowed to cast their ballots, however, meaning stations are likely to remain open beyond their official closure time as long as voters remain in line.Nearly 83 million people cast early ballots in this year's election cycle by mail or in-person voting, according to data from the University of Florida's Election Lab. That is far short of the over 101 million who did so in 2020, when the US was in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.As of Monday, Trump and Harris were locked in a virtual dead heat nationally, with Harris just +0.1% ahead with 48.7% and Trump at 48.6%, according to a compilation of polling compiled by the RealClearPolitics website. (Footage by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)