US election 2024: Voters head to polls to pick new president

If Donald Trump wins, US relations with Europe would look different, German lawmaker Peter Beyer told DW, though he predicted that the changes would not be as big as some people fear.

"But nobody needs to be, like, afraid of an America under President Donald Trump. We have a solid foundation across the Atlantic; trade, culture, security, that will, you know, stay in place for the foreseeable future," he said.

Beyer, who is a member of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party and member of the Bundestag parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, meanwhile acknowledged that the relationship between the US and Europe could change under a new Trump administration.

He particularly pointed out the defense and economy fields. Beyer foresaw "more protectionism" economically under a Trump administration, and a change in the level of US support to Ukraine in its war against Russia.

However, Beyer also said he expected Europe would have to respond and react regardless of who wins Tuesday's race. He said a new US administration would almost certainly be keen on seeing European Union members "taking up more responsibility for our own security."

"Certainly there will be a more disruptive and faster, you know, transactional governing under a President Donald Trump compared to Kamala Harris. So that would be a difference."

Before voting started, over 100 US and European security academics, politicians and current and former officials with some affiliation to the NATO military alliance signed an open letter, calling for a "third" course of action regarding the war in Ukraine.

They argued that whether Harris wins and continues the ongoing US strategy "of stasis and red lines, which have to date withheld the capabilities with which Ukraine could win the war," or Trump wins and tries "to impose a deal with Russia detrimental to Ukraine's interests," neither outcome would not be in Europe's favor.

Therefore, they proposed a "third course" which they say "can lead to Ukraine's survival as a sovereign state and Russia's defeat."

"The course of action we propose is, for a coalition of willing nations within NATO to commit to enhance military and financial support to Kyiv and to recommit to the aim of a sovereign Ukraine within its borders recognized by international law, focused around a clear strategy and theory of victory," the letter read.

The signatories argued that such a course of action would "avoid any immediate detrimental effects in Ukraine after the election, which would aid Russia, to live up to our alliance commitments and to take responsibility for our own security."

The signatories argued that Russia is not in as strong a position to win the war as many believe, and that it will begin running out of supplies in the second half of 2025.

For Ukraine, the stakes in the 2024 US presidential election could not be higher. With polls showing Trump and Harris neck and neck, Ukrainians are considering what a second Trump presidency would mean for them and what Harris might offer:

Trump has said he would be prepared to concede defeat "if it's a fair election," but in the same breath raised concerns regarding the use of electronic voting machines.

"If I lose an election, if it's a fair election, I would be the first one to acknowledge it... So far I think it's been fair," Trump told reporters after casting his ballot in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The former president was a sporting a red "Make America Great Again" cap as he repeated a call to only use paper voting on a single day.

"They spend all this money on machines... If they would use paper ballots, voter ID, proof of citizenship, and one-day voting, it would all be over by 10 o'clock in the evening. It's crazy," he said. 

When asked about fears of unrest following the elections, Trump said it was not necessary to tell his supporters to refrain from violence in the event of him losing.

"I don't have to tell them that, that there'll be no violence. Of course there'll be no violence. My supporters are not violent people," he said. 

If the US election were held in Serbia, Trump would most likely become the next president.

Public opinion polls done by media and research groups show that the majority of Serbians support the Republican candidate. 

Political observers believe the most probable reasons for this could be Trump’s stances on Kosovo, Serbia's former territory, whose independence Serbia never recognized.

Experts say that Serbians believe Trump would be more considerate when it comes to Serbia's position regarding Kosovo.

In 2020, Serbia and Kosovo signed the so-called "Kosovo and Serbia economic normalization agreements," informally known as the Washington Agreement, under the Trump administration.

Under a new Trump administration, Serbia might be able to get something out of normalizing ties with Kosovo, experts believe, such as economic concessions or measures to protect the Serbian minority in Kosovo.

Trump's warm ties with Russia, a traditional Serbian ally, could also play a part.

However, perhaps the biggest reason why people in Serbia do not support Democratic candidates in the US in general is the vivid memory of the NATO bombardment of Serbia back in 1999. Former US President Bill Clinton, who was in power during NATO's military campaign against Serbia, was notably a Democrat.

Pollsters say battleground states are too close to call. With a total of 50 electoral votes, these states are likely to determine who wins the election: 

Trump and Harris are just two of the many names US voters must choose from when they head to the ballot box today.

Some seats in the Senate and House of Representatives, the upper and lower houses of US Congress, will also be up for grabs, with Democrats and Republicans hoping to secure the voting majority. Voters will also choose members of their state governments as well, with many governor seats up for election.

Find out what else is at stake in this year's US election:

The UK prides itself on having a "special relationship" with the US. Sometimes this is easy to maintain, with strong bonds or even friendships between the respective leaders, see Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, or Tony Blair and George W. Bush in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. 

Sometimes it's harder — there were awkward moments between Trump and Theresa May, such as when he tried to hold her hand on their way to a joint press conference.

A second Trump presidency would be a challenge for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Labour has always been much closer to the Democrats: from some 100 Labour officials helping the Democrats' campaign to Foreign Secretary David Lammy previously calling Trump "Neo-Nazi sympathizing sociopath."

Starmer, the current Labour leader, did recently stress the "good, constructive discussion" that he had with Trump when they met for dinner in September, and said he would work with "whoever the American people return as their president."

Polls have already opened in several US eastern states, with polling stations due to stay open until at least 1:00 a.m. CET (0000 GMT).

Voters began arriving at polling stations in New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia, among other states. 

Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina are among this election's seven swing states, largely expected to determine who the next president of the United States will be.

The closing time of polls varies by state, and the US spans several timezones. The last polls on the mainland, in California, close at 8 p.m. local time (Wednesday 0500 CET, or 0400 GMT), while in Hawaii and Alaska polls stay open a couple of hours longer.

Some past US presidential elections saw result projections by the media on the same day or the next morning. 

But in a head-to-head race, media outlets might wait longer to declare a winner in battleground states, and the announcement of the final official results may take even more time. 

According to electoral law, any discrepancies in states must be resolved by December 11.

On December 17, the electors will meet in their state capitals to formally cast their votes for president and vice president.

On January 6, 2025, Congress will convene in Washington to count the electoral votes and officially confirm the winner of the election.

On January 20, the inauguration ceremony for the president takes place in Washington.

Read more on what happens on Election Day and beyond.

In the lead up to Election Day, unfounded claims of voter fraud and alleged loopholes in the voting system have gained traction on social media.

A recent wave of viral posts assert that noncitizens vote in the US, implying that US voting laws are too lax to prevent this.

"I am German, but since voting in America doesn't require an ID, I made a road trip and voted a total of 86 times in several swing states," reads a tweet that was viewed about 4.5 million times in three days. 

DW fact checked the post and found it was false. Read more on how we reached the conclusion. 

Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes — more than any other battleground state. 

The eastern state is suffering more from the rising cost of living than most other places, making the economy top of the list of its voters' concerns. 

At the same time, fracking has made it the country's second-biggest natural gas producer after Texas. Trump has long promoted fracking. Harris previously called for a ban but she is now keeping options open, albeit with stricter regulations.

The state hosted the only live debate between Harris and Trump on September 10, and it was where Trump was subject to an assassination attempt in July.  

Biden won the state in 2020.

DW takes a look at the Electoral College, the body that determines who gets elected president of the United States.

 

Residents in the southern Indian ancestral village of Harris held prayers for her victory on Election Day. 

Harris' maternal grandfather, P.V. Gopalan, was born over a century ago in the village of Thulasendrapuram in what is now Tamil Nadu state.

Outside the temple, a large banner wishes "the daughter of the land" success in the election.

On Monday evening, Harris spent the last day of campaigning in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she seemed confident to win.

"The momentum is on our side. We will win," Harris told the crowd. "Just one more day in the most consequential election of our lifetimes and the momentum is one our side. This could be one of the closest races in history — every single vote matters."

Harris, 60, spoke at the famous steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where the movie "Rocky" was shot. She called herself the underdog like Rocky, who was ready to "climb to victory."

The event featured some A-list celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey and Jon Bon Jovi. 

Also on the last day of campaigning, Harris' rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, saw celebrities like Cedric the Entertainer, Katy Perry and Andra Day.