Millions have voted in one of the most consequential elections in the history of the United States and while most polls showed Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in a dead heat, polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight has named the Democratic nominee as its favourite to win, switching from the Republican candidate.
The aggregator, which is a key election forecaster, had Mr Trump as its favourite to win for around two weeks and its simulations showed that, out of 100, Mr Trump won 53 times and Ms Harris 47. In a first since October 17, however, Ms Harris became the favourite on election day, leading Mr Trump in simulations 50 to 49.
The Economist’s final forecast said Ms Harris has a 56% chance of winning, but noted that the lead is narrow and Mr Trump could also win.
Polymarket, a betting platform, said former president Trump has a 62.3% chance of winning against Vice President Harris’ 37.9%.
Speaking to NDTV on Tuesday, Allan Lichtman, known for his 13 ‘Keys to the White House’ system, predicted Ms Harris will be the first woman president of the United States.
“Consign them (opinion polls) to the flames. Yes, we are going to have Kamala Harris, a new path-breaking president, the first woman president and the first president of mixed African and Asian descent. It is foreshadowing where America is going. We are rapidly becoming a majority-minority country old white guys like me, we are on the decline,” Mr Lichtman said.
‘If It Is Fair”
Both candidates also spoke to the media on election day.
“We’ve got to get it done. Today is voting day, and people need to get out and be active,” Ms Harris told Atlanta station WVEE-FM, describing Mr Trump as “full of vengeance. He’s full of grievance. It’s all about himself.”
The former president, who voted near his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, said he felt “very confident” and that he wanted to be “very inclusive.” But he aired concerns about the vote count – heightening fears that he would reject the result, citing fraud, if he lost. “If it’s a fair election, I would be the first one to acknowledge it,” he said.
In the most important swing state of Pennsylvania, a court approved a request to extend voting hours in a county after voting machines experienced a software glitch.
The ruling means that voting will stay open for an additional two hours in Cambria county, which broke roughly 70% to 30% in favour of Mr Trump in 2020. The case was brought by the local board of elections, which said a “software malfunction” at electronic voting machines had “prevented voters from scanning their completed ballots”. The Cambria County Court of Common Pleas ordered that voting hours be extended from 8pm to 10pm local time (0830 IST).
“This morning’s ballot processing issues in Cambria have resulted in delays – this is unacceptable, plain and simple,” Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley said after the case was filed. “Our legal team acted immediately to support extended hours to give voters the opportunity to vote – we need voters to stay in line!” he added.
