US on cusp of historic presidential election

WASHINGTON: The United States is on the cusp of a historic presidential election as Republican leader Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Kamala Harris criss-crossed key battleground states and delivered closing remarks ahead of the election day, capping months of intense campaigning.

On the final day of canvassing, former president Trump, known for his aggressive rhetoric, held rallies in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan while Harris addressed supporters in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.

More than 78 million Americans have already cast their votes, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab that tracks early and mail-in voting across the US.

Pennsylvania has emerged as the most crucial of the seven battleground states having 19 electoral college votes followed by 16 each in North Carolina and Georgia, 15 in Michigan and 11 in Arizona. Other battleground states, Wisconsin has 10 and Nevada has six.

The US has 50 states and most of them vote for the same party in every election except the swing states. Based on the volume of population, the states are assigned electoral college votes.

Overall a total of 538 electoral college votes are up for grabs. A candidate with 270 or more electoral votes is declared winner in the election.

The election is being billed as historic as it has been one of the tightest presidential races in the last several decades.

"This is the most consequential election in our lifetime," senior US senator Bernie Sanders told CNN, while explaining why Trump as president will be detrimental to the US's foundational values.

If Harris wins the race, history will be made as she will become the first woman, first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to become the US President.

In his rally in Pittsburgh, Trump again mounted a sharp attack on the Biden-Harris administration and said the American people have suffered "catastrophic failure, betrayal and humiliation" in the last four years.

"We do not have to settle for weakness, incompetence, decline and decay," he said.

"With your vote tomorrow, we can fix every single problem our country faces and lead America, and indeed the whole world, to new heights of glory," he said.

We are just one day away from what will be the most important political event in the history of our country -- but you have to get out and vote! Together, we make America Great Again, Trump said on 'X'

In the final rallies ahead of the election day, Harris pledged to put an end to divisiveness and called for working unitedly to take the country to a better future.

"It is my pledge to you -- if you give me a chance to fight on your behalf as president, there is nothing in the world that will stand in my way," she said at a rally in Pennsylvania.

"We rise and fall together. That's the strength of who we are," she said.

The vice president also called on people to go out and vote

"We need everyone in Pennsylvania to vote," Harris said, adding "You are going to make the difference in this election."

In the overall campaign in the last few days, Harris has been projecting the election as the one to protect the country's fundamental freedoms, safeguard constitutional values and ensure women's rights.

In his rallies, Trump has been promising to rebuild the economy and rid the US from illegal immigrants.

Meanwhile, various leading American cities have been brought under tight security as a precautionary measure to prevent any violence after election results are announced.

The security cover around the White House and Capitol Hill in Washington DC has been strengthened significantly.