In an election that was too close to call, it seemed only fitting that the first votes cast on Election Day were evenly split: three for Donald Trump and three for Kamala Harris.

The small New Hampshire town of Dixville Notch, known for its tradition dating back to 1960, was the first in the country to vote in person. After a spirited accordion rendition of the national anthem, the city’s six voters began casting their ballots at midnight, and the vote counting was completed at 12:15 p.m.

The result closely mirrors national polling trends, showing both candidates in contention for a tight race.

The American electoral system is based on 538 electoral votes, consisting of 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 100 seats in the Senate and 3 electoral votes from Washington, DC. To become president, a candidate must receive at least 270 votes. States are allocated electoral votes based on their population size. California has the largest share with 54 electoral votes, followed by Texas with 40 and Florida with 30. Smaller states such as North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware and Vermont each have at least 3 electoral votes.

An exciting battle between Trump and Harris

The election is expected to be closely contested in swing states, which are key battlegrounds that do not follow consistent voting trends and often determine the outcome of the race. These states include Nevada (6), Arizona (11), North Carolina (16), Georgia (16), Wisconsin (10), Michigan (15) and Pennsylvania (19).

While several third-party candidates are running, the primary race remains between the Democratic and Republican parties. Democratic Rep. Kamala Harris hopes to make history by becoming the first woman and first person of Indian descent to become US president. On the other hand, former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, is trying to make a historic comeback to the White House after his controversial departure in 2020. If Trump succeeds, he would become the first president in more than a century to hold two non- Republican presidents would serve. consecutive terms.

Polls show a neck-and-neck race between Harris and Trump, with many surveys showing results within the margin of error. According to national polling from ABC News’ FiveThirtyEight platform, Harris has a slight 1 percentage point lead over Trump (48% to 46.9%). Other polls show good numbers: NBC News and Emerson College show a 49%-49% tie, Ipsos gives Harris a 49%-46% lead and AtlasIntel predicts Trump will have a 50%-48% lead.