As millions of Americans pick their next president, what is it that drives their choice as they mark the ballot paper in front of them?

The BBC has spoken to a handful of people about what's been influencing their decisions.

Allison McCullough, a 43-year-old paediatric nurse and mother of two, has been a reliable voter for the Democrats. But McCullough says she will cast her ballot elsewhere due to the war in Gaza.

"I cannot morally vote for someone who is allowing us to send millions of dollars and support somewhere where they’re actively killing women and children in the name of self defence," she says.

John Doty, who is in his 30s,says he liked Trump's toughness, until his family taught him otherwise. His confidence in Trump began to unravel after he says his wife's mum, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was taken away by police.

From there, John's confidence in Trump began to unravel, and by 6 January 2021, the day of the Capitol riots, he had turned on the president for good.

• You can read more about their views and those of five other people by clicking here.

Brandon Drenon
Reporting from North Carolina

I'm in North Carolina, a key battleground state that both candidates have pumped considerable time and money into.

On Saturday, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will both be making stops here, their second time this week appearing in North Carolina on the same day.

Republicans see the state as a must-win and are pushing back against heightened efforts by Democrats to pull off the upset. Only one Democratic presidential candidate has won North Carolina in the last 50 years.

The latest polls suggest the race is extremely close, with either candidate winning by a single percentage point, which effectively amounts to a tie.

Experts are watching two things on election night: the turnout in the mostly-Republican western part of the state, destroyed by Hurricane Helene; and how many black voters, particularly those in the eastern rural part of state, vote for Harris.

Image source, Reuters

With just three days to go until Election Day in the US, both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are ramping up efforts in swing states to reach voters.

Here's the latest:

• Donald Trump is expected to hold campaign events in North Carolina and Virginia today
• Kamala Harris will hold a rally in Georgia, before heading to North Carolina for a concert and a campaign rally
• More than 70 million people across the country have already cast their vote ahead of 5 November (election day), either in person or by mail
• The presidential nominees held duelling rallies in the key battleground state of Wisconsin on Friday night
• Both candidates focussed on the economy - Harris pledged to bring down the cost of living, while Trump said the latest job figures were "bad news" for Harris
• Meanwhile, Arizona's attorney general says her office is investigating whether Trump's comments about former Congresswoman Liz Cheney violated state law

Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates, analysis and commentary on the election

The official polling day for the US election isn't for a few more days - Tuesday 5 November - but more than 70 million people have already voted, according to the latest figures from the University of Florida's Election Lab, external.

While the figure is below the record set in 2020 of 101.5 million - impacted by Covid - it is still higher than the number of early votes cast in 2016 (47.2m) and 2012 (46.2m).

The BBC's North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher delves deeper into what early voting can - and can't - tell us about the US election.

Image source, Reuters

There are 50 states in the US and most of them vote for the same party - Democratic or Republican - at every election.

That leaves just a handful of states where either candidate could win. At this election there are seven.

They are known as the swing states and can be divided into two groups: the Sun Belt (Nevada, Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia ) and the Rust Belt (Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania).

Across the entire US there are a total of 538 electoral college votes up for grabs and the winner will be the candidate who gets 270 or more.

In all but two states, the presidential candidate with the most individual votes from the residents there wins all the state’s electoral college votes.

Both candidates will need to win at least three swing states to get them over the line.

• You can read more from the BBC Visual Journalism team's interactive guide on the 2024 US presidential election here.

Harris has had a small lead over Trump in the national polling averages since she entered the race at the end of July and she remains ahead - 48% to 47%, according to 538/ABC News, external.

While national polls are a useful guide as to how popular a candidate is across the whole country, they're not the best way to predict the election result.

There are 50 states in the US but because most of them nearly always vote for the same party, in reality there are just a handful where both candidates stand a chance of winning.

These are the places where the election will be won and lost and are known as battleground states or swing states.

Who is winning in swing state polls?

Right now the leads in the swing states are so small that it's impossible to know who is really ahead from looking at the polling averages.

• You can read more about the latest election data via our poll tracker here.

Image source, Getty Images

Trump

Donald Trump's first rally will be in Gastonia, North Carolina, where he'll speak at midday (16:00 GMT) before heading to a campaign event in Salem, Virginia, in the late afternoon (20:00 GMT).

Trump will then head to Greensboro, North Carolina, for his final rally in the evening (23:30 GMT).

Meanwhile, Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump is among those expected to speak at a Team Trump Women’s Tour event in Atlanta, Georgia, in the evening (22:00 GMT).

Harris

Kamala Harris will also be in Atlanta, Georgia, with a rally in the afternoon (19:00 GMT).

She then heads to Charlotte, North Carolina, for a concert and a campaign rally in the evening (23:00 GMT).

Meanwhile, Harris supporters will be gathering in the afternoon (19:00 GMT) at the Women's March event, called "We Won't Go Back", in Washington DC.

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump held his Wisconsin rally in Fiserv Forum in the city of Milwaukee - the same venue where he earned the Republican Party nomination over the summer.

Here's some of what the Republican presidential nominee said:

• He began by asking voters "are you better off now than you were four years ago?", pledging to end inflation and "bring back the American dream"
• At one point, he encountered issues with his microphone. "This mic stinks" he said, when people shouted they couldn't hear him
• He repeated his plan to impose tariffs, saying it's "the most beautiful word in the whole dictionary"

• The former US president said “we’re suffering climate change!" and promised to end the Green New Deal - even though it is a set of non-binding proposals aimed at tackling climate change
• He claimed Kamala Harris's "inflation nightmare" had cost the American family thousands of dollars
• Trump went on to say, “Can you imagine if Kamala won? You would go down to a 1929-style depression"

Image source, Getty Images

As we've been reporting, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both held rallies in Wisconsin on Friday - a key battleground state.

Trump was in downtown Milwaukee and Harris in a suburb.

Four of the past six presidential elections in Wisconsin have been decided by less than a point - or fewer than 23,000 votes.

Here's some of what the Democratic presidential nominee said:

• Appearing alongside union workers, Harris accused Donald Trump of being a "threat" to the labour movement", saying his track record was a "disaster for working people"
• She pledged to invest in manufacturing communities and upgrade existing factories
• Harris was also joined by rapper Cardi B who criticised Trump's policies on abortion rights, saying "I'm not taking any chances with my future"
• On the economy, Harris said "bringing down the cost of living" was a key priority
• Harris reminded people of her experience as a prosecutor and former attorney general of California, saying she would fight predators, criminals and drug traffickers
• Addressing Gen Z voters, she said young people were "determined to live free from gun violence" and "take on the climate crisis"

James FitzGerald
BBC News

Around 240 million people are eligible to vote in the 2024 US election, but only a relatively small number of them are likely to decide who becomes the next president.

Experts believe there are only a handful of so-called "swing" states that could plausibly be won by either Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump.

Seven of these - Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - are thought to hold the keys to the White House.

Both campaigns have therefore been targeting undecided voters in these states.

• Find out more about the seven swing states and how they voted in the 2020 presidential election here

The Arizona's attorney general, a Democrat, says her office is investigating whether Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump violated state law in comments made about former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, an outspoken anti-Trump Republican.

On Thursday night, Trump said: "Let's put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK? Let's see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are trained on her face."

He added: "They're all war hawks when they're sitting in Washington in a nice building saying, 'Oh, gee, well let's send 10,000 troops right into the mouth of the enemy.'"

Trump's campaign said the former president was criticising Cheney as a warmonger.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes told local US media that Trump may have violated state laws that prohibit death threats.

"I have already asked my criminal division chief to start looking at that statement, analysing it for whether it qualifies as a death threat under Arizona's laws," Mayes told 12News.

She added that it was not yet clear whether Trump's comment amounted to protected free speech or a criminal threat.

The governor of Washington state says he's activating some members of the National Guard to be on stand-by after information and concerns regarding potential violence related to the 2024 election.

The state was one of two where ballot boxes were set on fire earlier in the week.

"Based upon general and specific information and concerns regarding the potential for violence or other unlawful activity related to the 2024 general election, I want to ensure we are fully prepared to respond," Governor Jay Inslee wrote in a letter published on his website.

Hundreds of ballots were damaged or destroyed by the use of the incendiary device in the drop box in the city of Vancouver, according to Inslee.

Seher Asaf
Live reporter

It's 07:00 GMT in London and 03:00 EDT in Washington DC.

If you're just waking up, here's some of what's been happening on the campaign trail, with three days to go until Election Day in the US.

• Kamala Harris teamed up with rapper and songwriter Cardi B at a campaign rally in Wisconsin, a key battleground state
• Donald Trump also rallied in Wisconsin, where he expressed frustration over issues with his mic
• The economy was a key talking point for both - Harris has pledged to bring down the cost of living, while Trump says latest job figures are "bad news" for Harris

• Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz and his Republican counterpart JD Vance held duelling campaign events in the swing sate of Michigan

• Early voter turnout has surged to more than 66 million votes across the US - a landmark number

Image source, Reuters

As the US presidential election nears the final stretch, both candidates have been out campaigning in the last few hours - just miles apart from each other.

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris ended up campaigning in the same city last night – battling for votes in the key swing state of Wisconsin.

"We win this state, we win the whole thing. You have to stand up and you have to tell Kamala, that you've had enough, that you can't take it any more, she's been the worst vice-president in the history of our country," Trump told Republican supporters in Milwaukee.

Over in West Allis, rapper Cardi B gave her endorsement to Harris during a Democratic rally.

"I'm gonna be real with you. I wasn't going to vote this year. I wasn't. But Kamala Harris joining the race, she changed my mind completely."

North Carolina is one of seven swing states whose outcome could decide who the next president is - and both Trump and Harris will be headed there on the final Saturday before the election.

The state boasts a population of 10.7 million - the size of Honduras - and its winner would gain 16 electoral college votes out of a total of 538.

Donald Trump won this state in 2020 by 74,000 votes. If Democrats manage to flip it, Trump's path to the White House becomes much harder.

The state's black voters are a big reason why Democrats almost won the state in the last election, and the Harris campaign has heavily targeted that demographic on the campaign trail.

Experts say the Democrats would need another high turn-out of black voters in order to win North Carolina. For Republicans, the key to winning is to ensure their party's voters continue registering at higher rates.

• A quick guide to swing state North Carolina

While Donald Trump and Kamala Harris focus on winning over the last few undecided voters, Americans across the country have already started casting their ballots for who they want to be their next president.

In fact voting started weeks ago. The BBC's Sumi Somaskanda explains.

A group of European Green leaders have asked US Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein to step down from next week's election, and are urging her to endorse Kamala Harris to stop Donald Trump from becoming president.

The request comes from Green parties across 16 countries in Europe, including Portugal and Ukraine.

“We are clear that Kamala Harris is the only candidate who can block Donald Trump and his anti-democratic, authoritarian policies from the White House,” they said in a statement on Friday.

Stein, an activist and doctor, has run as the Green Party's candidate in both the 2012 and 2016 elections.

The 78-year-old has vowed to fight climate change and defend abortion access and transgender rights. She was also recently arrested at a student protest on behalf of Gaza, and has gained some support from Americans opposed to the ongoing Middle East war.

• In addition to Stein, who are the other third-party candidates?

Image source, Reuters

Over the last few weeks we've been hearing a lot from this year's two main presidential candidates - Donald Trump for the Republicans, and Kamala Harris for the Democrats.

Trump is vying for a second term, while Harris is hoping to become the first woman, and first woman of colour, to become president.

And with election day nearing closer, the BBC's North America editor Sarah Smith gives you the lowdown on everything you need to know about these two candidates.

Image source, EPA

We heard a lot on Friday from both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on what their plans are for the US economy.

Unsurprisingly, the economy - and especially costs of living - have been key concerns for American voters this election.

But how do their plans differ? Here is a quick breakdown on what each candidate is proposing:

Democratic nominee Harris:

• Harris has stated that her day-one priority would be to reduce food and housing costs for working families. She has planned on doing so by banning gouge-pricing on groceries, helping first-time home buyers and increasing the minimum wage
• She has vowed to raise taxes on big businesses and Americans making $400,000 (£305,000) a year, while raising the capital gains tax slightly to 28%. Harris has also promised to expand child tax credits for families and cut taxes for small businesses
• On trade, Harris has indicated she will have a targeted approach on taxing imports - like the current Biden-Harris tariffs on Chinese imports like electric vehicles

Republican nominee Trump:

• Trump has also tackled high costs of living, pledging to "end inflation and make America affordable again". Among his plans are increasing oil drilling, which he says will lower energy costs.
• He also promised to deport migrants, which he says will ease pressure on housing, and has vowed to remove taxes on tips and social security benefits for seniors
• He has proposed tax cuts worth trillions, including an extension of a tax cut he enacted in 2017 that mostly helped the wealthy. Trump says these taxes will be paid by higher tariffs on imports - a plan that economists have warned will add to the US ballooning deficit and that would push up prices for consumers

Harris and Cardi B go deep on the economy in Wisconsinpublished at 03:10 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2024

03:10 GMT 2 November 2024

Rowan Bridge
North America correspondent, Washington DC

Image source, Reuters

Today it’s Cardi B, yesterday it was J-Lo.

Kamala Harris has been rolling out the celebrity endorsements in the final days of the campaign. At her rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the rapper and songwriter was one of the key speakers and performers before the vice-president took to the stage.

Cardi B’s a social media juggernaut with more than 250 million follows across her social media platforms. It’s unlikely her appearance will win over Maga-hatted Trump Republicans. But it will help energise Harris’s base, and potentially encourage some fans who might not have thought about voting to bother to.

What was noticeable was that Cardi B rehearsed many of Harris’s own talking points ahead of her taking to the stage.

Reading off her mobile phone, she laid into Donald Trump's policies on abortion rights, saying: "No, no. I'm not taking any chances with my future...and [I’m] taking no chances with the future of my children".

On the economy, the rapper said it needed "to get stronger" and added "that the cost of food and the cost of living is too high",

Image source, Reuters

Harris has recently begun putting the economy near the top of her speeches, and that was no different tonight.

"At the top of my list is bringing down the cost of living for you that will be my focus every single day," Harris said.

The cost of living is a major issue in this election, as households balk at prices that have jumped nearly 20% over four years.

In the final days, she’s making a pitch that she understands ordinary Americans' economic pain and has a plan to help. If America is listening, we’ll find out soon.