US president elections updates 2024

Americans are voting in their millions on Tuesday as the nation takes part in one of the most competitive elections in their history.

Former President Donald Trump, representing the Republican Party, is taking on current Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate.

The stakes are particularly high as key issues like abortion rights, the war in Ukraine and the Middle East dominate the discourse. To get all latest news related to the poll, keep in touch with 'Views Bangladesh'.

Muslims voters in Michigan shun Harris over West Asia turmoil

Haunted by the daily violence ravaging West Asia, and disillusioned by the Biden-Harris administration’s unwavering support for Israel, Muslim voters in swing state of Michigan are shunning the Democrat party this election.

Instead, they have chosen to vote for Jill Stein– the fringe Green Party’s candidate.

Stein, a Jewish physician and the Green Party’s perennial left-wing candidate is predicted to do well among Muslims, as well as progressives and youth voters nationwide — potentially acting as a spoiler for Harris, AFP reported.

Harris makes first public appearance on Election Day

Democratic presidential candidate and current US Vice President Kamala Harris made her first public appearance on Election Day as she arrived at the premises of the Democratic National Committee, or DNC, in Washington, DC,

At the occasion Harris emphasised the importance of people’s participation while on call with some of the voters and also thanked everyone who was phone banking for her campaign.

Musk to join Trump to watch presidential results come in

Elon Musk will be by Donald Trump’s side as the election results come in, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to US media agencies.

The richest man in the world will likely be with Trump at both Mar-a-Lago and the Palm Beach Convention Center, with the former president expected to greet supporters at the latter location at some point Tuesday evening.

Musk, 53, joined Trump at the Oct. 5 rally in Butler, Pa., where the Republican nominee symbolically completed an event that was interrupted by an assassination attempt July 13.

Gas leak causes polling centre to close in Michigan

Voters have been sent to polling stations in Detroit after officials shut down a polling centre due to a natural gas leak in Northville, Michigan.

Consumers Energy was probing the leak.

Barack Obama urges Americans to ‘get out and vote’

Former US President Barack Obama has posted a video on X in which he emphasised that the election result would be close.

“In some states, just a handful of votes in every precinct could decide the winner,” he said.

“Tell your family, talk to your neighbours, make a plan, go to the polls with your friends and vote,” he said, as he urged people to “vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”

Drones, snipers and National Guard deployed for security in swing states

Amid concerns about election-related unrest, swing states have adopted special security measures.

According to a Reuters report, the National Guard has already been deployed in Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Washington states.

Additionally, in Washington D.C., Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia, National Guard troops are on "standby," ready to be deployed at any moment.

Man held with flare gun at Capitol

The US Capitol police says it has just arrested a man who "smelled like fuel" and had a "flare gun" at the Capitol visitor centre in Washington DC.

In a post on X, the police say the man was stopped during a screening process at the centre.

"The man smelled like fuel, had a torch and a flare gun," the post says.

Trump media stock share surges by 12%

On the eve of the U.S. presidential election, shares of Republican candidate Donald Trump’s social media company rose by 12%. CNN reported this on Monday.

The report stated that the exact reason behind the surge in shares of Trump Media & Technology Group (DGT) remains unclear.

It also mentioned that, prior to a 41% drop in the last three days, the company’s stock had increased fourfold over the previous five weeks.

4 astronauts vote early from space

On US election day, astronauts Butch Wilmore, Sunita Williams, Nick Hedge and Don Pettit shared shared a picture of themselves on Instagram while sporting socks in patriotic hues. The socks of the astronauts featured a message “Proud to be American.”

According to the Texas Harris County Clerk of Court's Office, the astronauts cast early ballots for president from the International Space Station.

Over 1.2 million individuals. including the astronauts, cast early ballots in Harris County, Texas.

Ballots cast in space are sent to Earth via NASA's Near Space Network, a network of satellites in orbit that connect to antennas on Earth, much like the majority of data sent between the space station and mission control.

During a press conference from the space station on September 13, Williams told reporters, “It's a very important duty that we have as citizens, and I'm looking forward to being able to vote from space, which is pretty cool.”

Voting from space has been possible for American astronauts since 1997, when the Texas Legislature passed a bill that stated “a person who meets the eligibility requirements of a voter… but who will be on a space flight during the early-voting period and on election day”.

Winning US presidential election 2024 will be historic

Regardless of whether Republican candidate Donald Trump or Democratic candidate Kamala Harris wins the U.S. presidential election, it will be historic.

If former President Trump wins, he will become the first president in U.S. history to be convicted of a criminal offense. He would also be the first president to be impeached twice. Additionally, he would be elected president for a second time in a different term. Furthermore, after losing in his first attempt at re-election, Trump would become the second president in history to return to the White House.

On the other hand, if Harris wins, she will become the first woman, Black, and Asian-American president of the United States.

Analysts have also described this election as historic for several other reasons.

A mid-campaign decision to swap presidential candidates was unusual and rare. The way Kamala Harris has gained significant support and risen to a competitive position close to Trump has also been astonishing.

Brandon Rottinghaus, a professor of political science at the University of Houston, said, "Harris's nomination itself was historic. If she wins, it will break down the barriers the nation has been fighting to overcome since the 1920s."

Meanwhile, after announcing his candidacy for the 2024 presidential race, Trump faced four criminal cases, one of which resulted in a conviction. During his campaign, Trump was also the target of assassination attempts on two separate occasions.

The election campaigns of both candidates have been intense. The polls have shown a fiercely competitive race between the two, making this election a series of unprecedented events.

Harris urges Americans to 'get out and vote'

Kamala Harris is urging Americans to “get out and vote” in a handful of radio interviews on Tuesday.

"We've got to get it done. Today is voting day, and people need to get out and be active," she says on Atlanta station WVEE-FM.

When asked about how her presidency could make history on The Big Tigger Morning Show in Georgia, Harris says she's been focused on the "task in front of me" and in making sure that she is "responding to the needs of folks around the policies," according to the BBC's US partner CBS News.

Harris acknowledges that she would be the first HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) president, noting that the first office she ever ran for was freshman class representative at Howard University.

2 heavyweight US presidential candidates at a glance

Donald Trump, former US President
Party: Republican Party
Age: 78

Campaign promises: Trump said he would "close the border" to stop illegal immigration, promised tax cuts, a 10 percent tariff on imports and lower fuel prices.

2024 Key moments: Trump's bloody fists after a shooting at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States
Age: 60
Party: Democratic Party

Campaign emphasises: 'We won't back down' Kamala Harris highlighted the policies adopted by Donald Trump in this campaign slogan. She has also announced support for abortion rights, lowering grocery store prices and solving the housing crisis.

Key moments of 2024: Opening remarks at the Democratic National Convention after Joe Biden withdraws from the race.

Another warning issued by FBI over fake election videos

The FBI has issued another warning, external about fake videos circulating online that aim to cast doubt on the US election.

On Tuesday, the FBI said two inauthentic videos urged Americans to “vote remotely” due to a high terrorist threat at polling stations and alleged voter fraud at prisons in several swing states.

The videos were edited to look like a press release from the FBI and a report by CBS News. They did not receive a large number of views on X.

The FBI said the videos aimed to “undermine our democratic process and erode trust in the electoral system”.

Abortion rights initiatives on the ballot

The controversial abortion rights initiatives has been added to the ballots of 10 states in the US election.
The states are Arizona, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New York and South Dakota.

Voters in these states are making their own choices about abortion rights.

Hoax bomb threats trigger evacuations in Georgia

There were five non-credible bomb threats at polling locations in Fulton County, Georgia, this morning, reports CBS, BBC's US media partner.
Nadine Williams, the county’s director of registration and elections, says the threats led to the temporary evacuation of two locations for approximately 30 minutes each in the swing state.

The county, which includes the city of Atlanta, is now working to obtain a court order to extend the hours of the two affected locations until 19:30 local time (00:30 GMT Wednesday).

We reported earlier that technical issues in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, had prevented some voters from scanning their ballots, and electoral officials in that battleground state also filed a court order to extend the voting time.

Trump says he feels 'very confident'

Donald Trump and his wife Melania have just cast their votes at the Mandel Recreation Center in Palm Beach, Florida.

Wearing his trademark red cap, he's speaking to the media now.
"I feel very confident...and it looks like Republicans have shown up in force," he says.

Trump says he was "honoured" to see that the lines are quite long.
"We got back pretty late last night," he says, referring to his campaign rally in Michigan late last night.
"I hear we're doing very well."

'Russia is ramping up influence campaigns targeting US voters'

Federal law enforcement and election security agencies debunked two new examples of Russian election disinformation on the eve of Election Day, highlighting attempts by foreign actors to sow doubt in the U.S. voting process and warning that the efforts run the risk of inciting violence against election officials.

In a joint statement late Monday, federal officials pointed to a recent article posted by Russian actors falsely claiming that U.S. officials across presidential swing states were orchestrating a plan to commit fraud, as well as a video that falsely depicted an interview with an individual claiming election fraud in Arizona.

U.S. intelligence reveals that Russia-linked influence actors “are manufacturing videos and creating fake articles to undermine the legitimacy of the election, instill fear in voters regarding the election process, and suggest Americans are using violence against each other due to political preferences,” read the statement issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “These efforts risk inciting violence, including against election officials.”

Trump in Florida, Kamala Washington

Donald Trump was in Michigan at the start of polling day. He will spend the election day in Florida. After casting vote, he will go to Palm Beach. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris plans to attend an event at Howard University in Washington on election night. Apart from this, she has not announced any other program on election day. Al-Jazeera news.

Polling stations open in 10 more states

Polls are now open in 10 more states. Voting started at 8am local time and is underway in more than 30 states.

The states are: Alabama, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin.

Georgia poll worker held for making bomb threat

A Georgia poll worker was arrested today for mailing a letter to the Jones County Elections Superintendent threatening poll workers.

According to the criminal complaint, Nicholas Wimbish, 25, of Milledgeville, Georgia, was serving as a poll worker at the Jones County Elections Office on Oct. 16 when he allegedly had a verbal altercation with a voter. Later that evening, Wimbish conducted online research to determine what information about himself would be publicly available. The following day, Wimbish mailed a letter addressed to the Jones County Elections Superintendent, purportedly from a “Jones County Voter.”

First ballot cast
The first ballots were cast in a tony township in the state of New Hampshire, where polling always opens at midnight on election day (0500 am UK time).

The town, Dixville Notch, only has six voters so the result was announced a few hours later - and it was a dead heat. However, we are told not to read into that, because the voting pattern in Dixville Notch is not considered a good indicator of the final outcome of the presidential race.

Most states open their polling stations at 7am in their local time, so voters started to turn up in big numbers from about 10am UK time with more polls opening throughout the day.