Washinton DC, November 5: Polling locations for the US presidential elections have now opened in another nine states, including two swing states of Arizona and Wisconsin, CNN reported on Tuesday. Other states include the states of Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota (municipalities with fewer than 500 registered voters can open polling places as late as 11 am local time), South Dakota (some polls open at 6 am local time depending on the time zone), North Dakota (polls can open between 8 and 11 am local time), Oklahoma, and Texas (polling locations in CT open at 8 am local time and locations in MT open at 9 am local time).

Polling has now opened across 34 states in the US in what is termed to be one of their most consequential elections, which will decide the direction of not just the US but also have an influence on global geopolitics for the next four years. According to CNN, earlier polls had been opened across 25 states, including Alabama, Delaware, Washington DC, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Vermont and New Hampshire, among which Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania are swing states. US Presidential Election 2024: Voting Begins With First Ballots Cast in New Hampshire.

The polling hours will vary across the states, but most locations will vote between 6 am and 8 pm on Tuesday (local time). The first polls will close at around 7 pm ET (5:30 am IST) in six states, including Georgia. The final polls will close in the blue state of Hawaii and in the red state of Alaska at 12 am ET (10:30 am IST). Total votes will close by 1 pm ET (11:30 am IST), following which counting will start.

Despite the presence of many other parties, the US race is between the Democratic and Republican parties. Vice President Kamala Harris is the candidate of the incumbent Democrats, and she is aiming to create history by becoming the first woman in the US. If elected, she will also be the first Indian-origin President of the United States. US Presidential Elections 2024: 'Your Vote is Your Voice', Says Kamala Harris as Polling Opens in Multiple States.

On the other hand, the Republican candidate is former President Donald Trump, who is eyeing a historic comeback to the White House after a bitter exit in 2020. Notably, if Trump wins, it will be the first instance in over 100 years of a president serving two non-consecutive terms in the White House. Most of the polls have predicted a very close race between Trump and Harris, with all the leads projected within the margin of error.

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