On Tuesday, at 5:00 a.m. local time (10:00 GMT), the first polling stations opened in the United States to vote in what could be a historic election. The country is choosing between Democrat Kamala Harris, the current vice president, and Republican and former president Donald Trump, who has already held the post from 2017 to 2021. This was reported by EFE.
Vermont voters in the northeastern part of the country were the first to start voting, with polls open from 5:00 to 10:00 (15:00 GMT). An hour later, at 6:00 a.m. local time (11:00 a.m. GMT), polls will open in the other six states – Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, New Jersey, New York and Virginia. Half an hour later, residents of Ohio, West Virginia and North Carolina, the latter of which is considered a key state in the presidential race, will start voting.
The United States spans six time zones, and each state sets its own polling hours in accordance with local law. According to the time zones, polls will open at 12:00 GMT in most Washington, D.C., counties and 17 other states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania, which are also crucial to the outcome.
In the next wave, at 13:00 GMT, polls will open in ten more states, including Arizona, Iowa, Texas and Wisconsin. At this time, voting will also begin in key states where the results could determine the winner of the election.
Polls are expected to open in stages: voting will begin in California and Idaho at 15:00 GMT, Washington and Alaska at 16:00 GMT, and Hawaii will be the last to open at 17:00 GMT.
In addition to the president, Americans will elect 435 members of the House of Representatives, one-third of the Senate, a number of governors and mayors, and will also vote on local legislative initiatives. One of the most pressing issues is the right to abortion: in ten states, voters will decide whether to tighten legal restrictions or expand protection of this right.
