2024 election results map: Trump vs. Harris

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Polls are closing across the United States as millions of people cast their votes for the country's 47th president.

Initial forecasts show that Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has a difficult path ahead of her. Votes in must-win swing states are still being counted as her Republican rival Donald Trump cleans up in GOP strongholds.

The results in the battleground states will likely determine who wins the presidency.

Early forecasts show Trump winning in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia wins and Wyoming.

Harris is expected to win California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington state, as well as Washington DC.

She also received a turnout in Maine, one of two states with a unique split-electoral scenario, as opposed to the winner-take-all outcome in other states.

Preliminary results are expected soon in Georgia and North Carolina, two crucial swing states that both candidates hope will carry them to victory.

His predicted victory in Florida is his third straight victory in the state, securing a whopping 30 electoral votes after former Democratic President Barack Obama carried the state in both 2008 and 2012.

He is also expected to win two of Nebraska's electoral votes in the separate count of electoral votes in that state.

As election workers count ballots and release provisional voting data, the media makes its predictions for the winner of each state.The Independent relies on Associated Press forecasts.

Check back for live updates from The Independent.

Both candidates are seeking 270 electoral votes, the golden number needed to secure the presidency.

But it will likely take several hours to get any meaningful information. The first polling stations to close will close their doors at 6:00 p.m. local time, while some polling stations will remain open until 8:00 p.m. local time, including many on the West Coast.

Experts said previously The Independent that the timeline for calling the race depends largely on two things: how close the election is in each state and those states' specific laws regarding vote counting and possible recounts, all of which vary.

Although the media is expected to release its final predictions in the hours and days following November 5, their determination is only ever a prediction. The election will be officially certified by Congress on January 6, 2025.

Voters cited the state of democracy as the most important issue in their voting decision, followed by the economy and economics, according to polls conducted by Edison Research for media companies in the National Election Pool.

Traditionally, exit polls are conducted through face-to-face interviews with voters outside polling stations after they have cast their votes. Pollsters are stationed outside polling stations before and on election day. They also conduct phone and text surveys to reach voters who cast their ballots by mail.

Senate and House races

Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is expected to win a Senate seat, replacing a seat previously held by former Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who is not seeking re-election.

Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida is also expected to defeat Democratic opponent Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

In Maryland's Senate race, Democratic candidate Angela Alsobrooks defeated the state's former governor Larry Hogan, an anti-Trump Republican.

Alsobrooks is expected to be the first Black man ever elected to the Senate.

Currently, only 34 of the country's 100 Senate seats are up for election, as senators serve six-year terms and a third is elected every two years. But tonight all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election.

Delaware voters have elected Democratic candidate Sarah McBride for the state's only House of Representatives seat, making her the first openly transgender congresswoman in American history.

The election results in House and Senate races across the country will determine the balance of power in Congress, where Democrats have the narrowest majority in the Senate and Republicans have a narrow majority in the House, and determine whether the president-elect's agenda is influenced by the Legislation is supported.

Before this election, Democrats had 47 senators and four allied independents, while Republicans had 49.

Of the 34 seats up for grabs, 18 had previously been occupied by Democratic senators, which posed a threat to their slim majority.

Battle for the swing states

All eyes are on the seven swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Together they have 93 electoral college votes, without which no presidential candidate can win the election.

Results will be updated live as soon as they are received. Check back for updates.