The latest polls have put Hillary Clinton slightly ahead of Donald Trump as the candidates wrap up a round of final rallies. Over 40 million have already cast their ballots as the bitter White House battle nears its end.
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Hotly contested US election comes down to the wire
01:09
Polls began opening on much of the east coast at 6:00 am local time (1100 UTC) on Tuesday.
Polling stations will continue to open across the nation, all the way to Hawaii, over the coming hours.
As per US tradition, the town of Dixville Notch in New Hampshire kicked off voting at midnight (0500 UTC). Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton won in the small community, which reportedly has a population of 12, according to Politico. She took the race with four votes, while Republican nominee Donald Trump won two votes and Gary Johnson one. Mitt Romney - who ran on the 2012 Republican ticket - also won one vote.
Hours before the first polling stations in the US opened for Tuesday's election, polls put Clinton ahead of Trump as both candidates held rallies around the country that lasted into the early morning hours.
A RealClearPolitics average of national polls showed Clinton holding a widening but still narrow 3.2 percentage point lead over Trump in a four-way race with fringe candidates Libertarian Gary Johnson and Jill Stein with the Green Party.
Hotly contested US election comes down to the wire
01:09
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An Economist-YouGov opinion poll of over 3,000 likely voters showed Clinton winning with 45 percent to Trump's 41 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.7 percentage points.
The Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project gave Clinton a 90 percent chance of defeating Trump on Tuesday, but still anticipated tight races in vote-rich states like Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Battleground rallies
Clinton held the largest rally of her campaign in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Monday night, drawing a crowd of some 33,000 according to the city's Fire Department. She was joined by her husband former US President Bill Clinton as well as current President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. Rock stars Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen also played for the cheering Philadelphia crowd.
"There is a clear choice in this election. A choice between division or unity, an economy that works for everyone, or only for those at the top; between strong, steady leadership, or a loose cannon who could put everything at risk," Clinton told the crowd, taking aim at her Republican rival.
Following the rally, Clinton headed to Raleigh, North Carolina - another key battleground state - for a midnight rally with pop star Lady Gaga.
Trump was also pushing for last minute support on Monday, jetting from Florida to North Carolina, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
"Do you want America to be ruled by the corrupt political class, or do you want America to be ruled, again, by the people?" he said at a rally in New Hampshire. During the rally, he said he would tear up free trade deals, close up borders and exclude Syrian refugees whom he regarded as potential terrorists.
"I am with you and I will fight for you and we will win." Trump's final rally of the night was to take place in Grand Rapids, Michigan - a historically Democrat state, but one the Republican candidate was hoping to flip into his column come Tuesday.
Record early voting - and a ballot from space
A record number of US citizens at home, abroad and even in outer space took advantage of early voting measures this year.
Why young voters want Clinton in office
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According to Associated Press data, at least 43.2 million people cast ballots through the mail or at polling stations ahead of Tuesday. The figure could top 50 million as ballots continued rolling in. The record levels have been reported in 23 states as well as the District of Columbia.
Turnout from Latino voters has surged nationally and may help boost Clinton in Florida - a key swing state for both candidates - while initial numbers for African American voters show a drop-off after historic turnouts in 2008 and 2012 for Obama.
Shane Kimbrough, the lone USastronaut currently in outer space, also cast his vote from the International Space Station, NASA said on Monday.
US astronauts have been able to vote from space since 1997, voting in the state of Texas, where most of them live near Houston's NASA Mission Control and Johnson Space Center. There was no word on who Kimbrough voted for.
States on the east coast of the US will close their polls around 7 p.m. (0000 UTC). Final results are expected around 11 p.m. EST (0400 UTC) when polling stations on the West Coast close.
rs/jm (AP, AFP, Reuters)
Fun facts about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton
Think you know everything there is to know about presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton? Here are some things that may surprise you, including their rather cavalier attitudes toward their own hair.
Image: Reuters/J. Young
Behind the public personas
In a race that seems to have lasted half an eternity, the US presidential candidates are finally heading down the homestretch. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton's faces have been nearly omnipresent for over a year, but both have a number of unusual features that sometimes get ignored.
Image: DW/M. Santos
Hillary the conservative
Hillary Clinton grew up in a conservative household in Illinois. Her father manufactured drapery, and as a young woman she was a Republican who supported both Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon. It was only later that she became a Democrat and let down her hair - much to the delight of many a coiffeur.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Ron Sachs
Donald the political gadfly
In his earlier years, it was difficult to tell which party, if any, Trump supported. In the past he endorsed Democratic candidates, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, and some of his statements over the years have been remarkably liberal. He only found his way to the Republicans late in life - much to the dismay of some members of the party.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. A. Clary
Not initially convinced by Bill
Hillary Clinton initially owed her fame to the fact that she was married to the president of the United States. But when Bill first asked for her hand, she said no. He had to propose several times before she agreed to become his wife.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/Greg Gibson
Trump as pageant peeper
From 1996 until 2015, Trump owned part or all of the Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA beauty pageants, and by his own admission, he paid occasional visits to the contestants' backstage dressing areas to check that everything was in its … er … right place. That may account for Miss California's expression here.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Lane
First female Wal-Mart board member
Clinton was the first female ever to serve on the board of US discount department store Wal-Mart. The company is - to put it delicately - not exactly known for being worker-friendly. Years later Hillary did a signing of her autobiography at one of Wal-Mart's many outlets, where employees would have had difficulty affording a copy.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Jim Lo Scalzo
Trump's lucrative sideline
Although he got his start in real estate, Trump has appeared in a number of films and TV shows, including, of course, the reality show The Apprentice. He's a member of the Screen Actors' Guild and receives an annual pension of more than $110,000 for his work on screen. He got his recently repaired star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 2007.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/N. Stern
Cows about that for a profit?
In this image, Bill seems to be taking more of an interest in cows, but it's Hillary who has more history with them. In the late 1970s, she turned $1,000 into nearly $100,000 trading in cattle futures. Critics say these dealings were corrupt, but no charges have ever been brought in connection with this bovine bonanza.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Honda
Inside the squared circle
Trump made numerous appearances inside the wrestling ring as part of a supposed feud with World Wrestling Entertainment boss Vince McMahon. What better preparation for the post-factual era? Trump's facility with rigged battles earned him induction into the Wrestling Hall of Fame. Wanna bet that he'd love to re-enact this scene with Hillary?
Image: Getty Images
A woman of do's and don'ts
As first lady, Clinton was known for experimenting with various styles. In 1996 "Vanity Fair" magazine claimed that she had sported 43 different hairstyles in the White House - enough to suit a broad variety of occasions. This is the one she wore when talking about Monica Lewinsky, the intern with whom her husband had an affair.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Naltchayan
Just says no
Donald Trump insists that he has never tried alcohol and cigarettes, and among his many claims, this one stands out because it seems to be true. Those who know and have met him confirm that he is indeed a teetotaler. What was that again about power being the ultimate drug?
Image: Getty Images/AFP/K. Betancour
A woman of the world
As secretary of state, Clinton visited more foreign countries (112) than any previous holder of that office. (For the record, Condoleezza Rice logged more flight miles.) When she stepped down in 2013, her staff gave her a football jersey with the number 112.
Image: Getty Images/Department of State
A hands-off candidate
Much was made about Trump and Clinton not shaking hands before their second debate, but in fact the Donald prefers not to shake hands with anyone and is regarded as a germaphobe. It's a quality also associated with Howard Hughes, Michael Jackson, Nikola Tesla and Adolf Hitler.
Image: picture alliance/AP Images/S. Walsh
Clinton, the Grammy winner
Many detractors - and not a few supporters - find Hillary Clinton's voice grating to the ear. But that didn't prevent her from winning a Grammy in 1997 for best spoken word performance for the audio-book of her autobiography "It Takes a Village." BTW: Celine Dion won for best album that year. You draw the conclusions.
Image: picture-lliance/dpa
Always on center court
Almost everything about Trump seems a bit larger than life and beyond belief, so why should his legal history be any different? The Republican has been involved some 3,500 lawsuits in US federal and state courts. That's close but not quite good enough for an entry in the Guinness Book of Records. Note to Donald: Must try harder.