Summary

  • Candidates criss-cross battleground states in final hours of campaign

  • Clinton promises an "inclusive" America - Trump vows to purge "corrupt" system

  • BBC poll of polls puts Democratic candidate ahead by four points

  • More than 45 million early voters have already cast their ballots

  1. Monday recappublished at 00:38 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2016

    Polling placeImage source, AP

    With election day now just hours away, we are pausing our live page. Here are the the main developments on the final day of campaigning. 

    • Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton made a manic eve-of-poll dash round battleground states
    • Clinton urged voters to back a "hopeful, inclusive, big-hearted America" 
    • Trump told supporters: "You have one magnificent chance to beat the corrupt system and deliver justice" 
    • The BBC poll of polls puts Clinton on 48% and Trump at 44% 
    •  A record number of Americans - at least 44.9 million - have voted early by post or at polling stations, which is likely to be about 40% all ballots cast 
    • There are signs of a high turnout among Hispanic voters, which could be good news for Clinton 
    • Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway sought to allay anxiety about the Republican candidate in a BBC interview

    Join us again as polling stations open across America for full coverage of what is sure to be a momentous day!

  2. Missing the election already?published at 00:23 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2016

    As the US presidential election comes to an end, many tourists are picking up quirky keepsakes to commemorate this unforgettable race for the White House.

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  3. A warp-speed trip down memory lane...published at 00:21 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2016

    Relive the highlights of the 19-month election campaign in 170 glorious seconds.

    Enjoy the ride...

    Media caption,

    Warp speed recap

  4. Epic trolling of Clinton camppublished at 00:13 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2016

    FBI Director Comey, who sensationally unveiled a new email investigation into Clinton at the end of October, only to exonerate her yesterday, has been honored with a lifetime achievement award by a group whose board has longtime ties to Trump. The nonprofit Federal Drug Agents Foundation, which honoured Comey, lists more than three dozen board directors on its website, including the head of the company that publishes the pro-Trump National Enquirer and the developer of a Trump-branded tower in Toronto.

    FBI Director ComeyImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    FBI Director Comey

  5. Ann Coulter v Martin Amispublished at 23:34 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    BBC Newsnight's Emily Maitlis was just live on Facebook in New York with celebrated novelist Martin Amis and conservative commentator Ann Coulter and they had an argument.

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  6. Clinton rally with Potus and Springsteen in an hourpublished at 23:33 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

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  7. 'I know what's been going on'published at 23:00 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Early voters in Medina, ClevelandImage source, AP
    Image caption,

    Early voters in Medina, Cleveland

    A polling monitor in Ohio has reported this fraught exchange.

    Shachi Kurl, executive director of the Angus Reid Institute - a Canada-based public opinion research organisation - is in suburban Cleveland observing the US election as a member of the International Visitor Leadership Program.

    Quote Message

    It's coming up on 2pm at the Lake County Administration Centre and the lineup to cast a ballot on the last day of early voting extends into the hallway, almost out the door. Janet Clair, director of the Lake County Board of Elections, is a busy woman. This is her eighth election on the job, and she says this one is the most "unique". The biggest concern she's seeing at polling places is that people think their votes won't actually be counted. As Clair begins to demonstrate how electronic voting machines work, she is called away and asked to speak to a distraught voter who believes her ballot will be among those un-counted. The woman, on the brink of tears, is wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with an American flag, the silhouettes of two soldiers and the words "American Strong". "I've been voting for 38 years," she says. "I know what's been going on; it's just now that it's come out." Clair tries to reassure the woman. "Would you feel better if you knew I've sworn an oath?" "I don't think it’s you," the woman responds. "It's people higher up in the party." She doesn’t say which party she means. In soothing tones, Clair brings the voter around, explains patiently and in detail why she can trust the electronic voting machine, and convinces her to cast her ballot. The woman votes and thanks her. "This is what I’m dealing with," Clair says when the woman leaves. "All these conspiracy theories going around."

  8. Clinton ahead in final few national pollspublished at 22:47 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    BBC poll of polls showing Hillary Clinton on 48% and Donald Trump on 44%

    We've updated our poll tracker to take in the national polls that have been released so far today. At the moment, our poll of polls has Hillary Clinton with a four point lead over Donald Trump, 48% to 44%.

    Of the polls released today, Mr Trump is leading in just one - an LA Times tracker, external that has him up 48% to 43%. However, doubts have been raised over the quality of that particular poll because of how it weights the views of a 19-year-old black Trump supporter in Illinois, which you can read about here, external

    National polls released on 7 November
  9. Lady Gaga and Bon Jovi to sing for Clintonpublished at 22:35 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Lady Gaga surprises fans while on the Bud Light x Lady Gaga Dive Bar Tour where the singer performed three new tracks off her upcoming album 'Joanne' in New York City.Image source, Getty Images

    The Clinton campaign has enlisted a star-studded line-up for its final "Get Out the Vote" rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, at midnight.

    Lady Gaga, Jon Bon Jovi and DJ Samantha Ronson are scheduled to appear at the event, according to the campaign. 

    Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton will also attend. 

  10. A look back at American voterspublished at 22:26 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    The BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan has spent a lot of time on the campaign trail speaking with Americans who have shaped the long and often contentious road to election day. 

    With just one more day to go, she looks back at some of the voters and voices who will ultimately determine who takes over the White House in January. 

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  11. Knock knock. Who's there? It's Madeleine Albright!published at 22:22 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright tweeted a video of her campaigning and knocking on doors to get out the vote for Hillary Clinton. 

    Albright, who served under former President Bill Clinton, was the first woman to hold the cabinet post. She also served as US ambassador to the United Nations and was a member of President Clinton's National Security Council.

    In the video, she's seen telling supporters "that this election is more important than anything that most of us have ever seen and we have the best candidate", she said, referring to Hillary Clinton.

    She appears to have toned down her language from when she told female Bernie Sandsers supporters during the Democratic primaries: "There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other."

    She later said it was the "wrong time to use that line".

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  12. A Trump rally in Michiganpublished at 21:53 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Riley Visner appears with her two children at a rally for Republican nominee Donald Trump in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

    The BBC's Regan Morris spoke to Annie Visner, who along with her kids are first in line for Trump's last rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

    She's a Canadian legal resident of the US and "the only reason I don't want my citizenship yet is I don't want that man's name on my papers", she said, referring to President Obama. 

    They arrived at 09:30 local time (14:30 GMT) for the 23:00 rally. There are about 40 other people lined up as of 16:00 local time.

  13. We told you the election is out of this world...published at 21:45 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    US astronaut Shane Kimbrough, a member of the main crew to the International Space Station (ISS), is seen in this file photo.Image source, AP

    NASA announced on Monday that astronaut Shane Kimbrough cast his ballot from the International Space Station at some point over the last few days. 

    But he's not the only astronaut to vote while circling the globe in 2016. Kate Rubins also voted before she returned to Earth a week ago. 

    A 1997 Texas law allows American astronauts to vote from space. Many of NASA's astronauts live in Houston when they're not in space.

    10 US election oddities

  14. George RR Martin's 'high anxiety'published at 21:38 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Novelist George RR Martin attends Rolling Stone LIVE Presented By Miller Lite in Scottsdale, Arizona.Image source, Getty Images

    The political scheming of this wild US election cycle has been enough at times to make even the Lannisters of TV's Game of Thrones blush.

    George RR Martin, the novelist who created the dark world of Westeros, seems to agree.

    He shared his support for Hillary Clinton in a series of posts on his blog, external, while blasting Donald Trump. 

    The author, whose book series A Song of Ice and Fire is the basis for the hit HBO series, voted early last week in New Mexico. 

    The Hillary for New Mexico Twitter account tweeted a photo of the novelist speaking to volunteers and supporters on Saturday.

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    In his blog, which is entitled Not a Blog, Martin revealed on Sunday he was suffering from vote anxiety. 

    "The election still has me in a state of high anxiety. I am not sleeping well, and I think I check 538 about three dozen times a day, hoping for some good news. Tuesday cannot come fast enough for me. I think I speak for a lot of Americans when I say that I desperately want this thing to be over," he wrote.

    No wonder he can't seem to finish The Winds of Winter, the sixth installment in the fantasy saga. 

    He said in another post, referring to Trump: "In my lifetime, there has never been a presidential candidate more unfit to lead this nation."

    Anyone know if they can vote by raven in the Seven Kingdoms?

  15. Trump: Make your dreams come truepublished at 21:13 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.Image source, Reuters

    In making his final plea to voters in Raleigh, Trump said if he doesn't win the election, it will have been "the single greatest waste of time, energy and money".

    "Just imagine what our country could accomplish if we started working together as one people, under one god, saluting one American flag." 

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  16. From our archives....published at 20:58 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    BBC Newsnight

    We've been digging through our archives for footage of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump... 

    Here's an extract from a Jeremy Paxman interview with Clinton in 2014: 

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    And here's Emily Maitlis with Donald Trump as part of her 2011 film Donald Trump: All American Billionaire:

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    Watch more on our US election YouTube playlist, external

  17. Third party president?published at 20:50 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Evan McMullin, the anti-Trump conservative independent candidate, thinks that by blocking a win in the state of Utah he can seize the entire presidency.

    If neither candidate wins 270 electoral college votes, the president will be decided by Congress' House of Representatives.   

    An election hasn't been decided by the House since 1824, and a third-party candidate hasn't won an electoral college vote since 1968.

    ABC News's political analyst Matthew Dowd describes this scenario “as close to not happening as improbable can get", but try telling that to Team McMullin.

    Who is Evan McMullin?

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  18. Trump ramps up Brexit predictionpublished at 20:46 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump points to the crowd as he arrives to a campaign rally.Image source, AP

    He's promised "Brexit times five" and even "Brexit times 10".

    Now Donald Trump has found a new formula for describing the victory he hopes to pull off on Tuesday, telling a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina: "Tomorrow's going to be a very historic day. I think it's going to be a Brexit plus plus plus. Does that make sense? Plus plus plus." 

    Trump believes he can defy the establishment and the pundits by replicating the success of the referendum campaign to get Britain out of the European Union.

    His campaign manager Kellyanne Conway has said he means that despite the Remain team's robust campaign in the final days before the referendum, the Leave supporters were able to turn out voters. 

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  19. Record turnout for early voting in North Carolinapublished at 20:32 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Voters line up on 20 October during early voting at Chavis Community Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Voters line up on 20 October during early voting at Chavis Community Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

    As Clinton and Trump dash across battleground states in their final pitch, a record three million voters have already cast a ballot in the all-important state of North Carolina.

    Only three states have had a higher turnout for early voting than North Carolina, according to the University of Florida elections project., external

    While Democratic early voting was slight down from the 2012 election, Republican early voting was up by 13%.

    But the state could prove to be a big wildcard as independent voting turnout was up about 40%, the Charlotte Observer reported, external.

  20. The rise of the alt-rightpublished at 20:27 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2016

    Media caption,

    The cartoonist reclaiming a hate symbol

    The anti-immigrant rhetoric of Republican Donald Trump has energised a disparate American movement accused of racism and anti-Semitism.

    The group, known as the alt-right for "alternative right", have adopted a cartoon frog called Pepe as one of their symbols leading to it being classified as a hate symbol by a prominent civil rights group.

    Now the frog's creator, Matt Furie, is trying to reclaim the cartoon, which he says, has been "hanging out with the wrong crowd."

    Read more about James Cook's experience with alt-right movement

    Pepe drawn on a Trump signImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Pepe seen at a Trump rally on Sunday