Image source, Getty Images

Nate Silver, of the FiveThirtyEight blog, external, says Clinton appears to be on course to win the popular vote by 3% to 4%, in line with national opinion polls.

But - he adds - she is predicted to win only 290 Electoral College votes, a narrow margin of victory, which means Donald Trump has a decent shot of winning the presidency. That might be because Clinton's support is not concentrated in swing states, he suggests.

Silver famously predicted the correct result in all 50 states in 2012.

ABC News projects Louisiana for Donald Trump

Louisiana has voted Republican in four successive elections, but backed Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 and isn't considered quite as solidly "red" as some of its neighbours.

Image source, Getty Images

Canadian campaign veteran John Laschinger has run 50 political campaigns in 45 years - he notes with 30 victories (and he has written a book about it).

His thoughts on this US campaign?

Donald Trump's appeal reminds him of another right wing populist in Canada: late Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.

Voters who back him "don't like government, don't like elites, and - sorry - don't like the media," he tells the BBC.

Ford also managed to siphon votes from a left-wing populist mayoral candidate in one of his successful runs, which is similar to former Bernie Sanders backers who switched over to Mr Trump's campaign, Mr Laschinger says.

And he thinks Hillary Clinton has run a professional if not inspirational campaign.

It's been hamstrung by the fact that "people have hammered her so ruthlessly for the last 30 years".

"The only thing she's got going for her is nobody votes on honesty. Honesty is not a value they ascribe to politicians," he says.

In downtown Toronto, a well-heeled crowd of politicians, diplomats and business people are chowing down on chili dogs and watching the results role in at the swank Albany Club.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is watching Florida - where Donald Trump appears to have a slight edge - with some disbelief.

Premier Wynne, a Liberal, backs Mrs Clinton.

"Our fate is absolutely inextricably linked to the United States," she tells the BBC.

"If we have a partner south of the border that isn't interested in getting a softwood lumber deal or making sure we continue our relationship with the auto sector, that's very, very bad for the province and it's bad for the country."

Her number one issue in the Canada-US relationship? "Trade."

The BBC is live as the results start rushing in...

BBC World's Adam McIlrick, external is watching from his BBC battle station in Washington DC.

Where are you watching from?

Today, in addition to choosing a president and sending politicians to Congress, voters in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada will decide if they want to allow recreational cannabis use.

Propositions to allow medical marijuana as well are on the ballot in Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota.

The BBC's James Cook, externalhas taken a look at which states are likely to legalise the herb, and which ones will "just say no".

Watch his report below:

Tessa Wong
BBC News, Singapore

There's lots of volatility as the results roll in. The Mexican peso, which surged at first, is now falling. Meanwhile the Japanese yen has done the opposite and is now strengthening.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Tammy Duckworth has won her race to become the senator of Illinois. 

A former Army helicopter pilot – who lost both her legs in the Iraq war – Duckworth currently serves as a Congresswoman in the US House of Representatives.  

She beat incumbent Senator Mark Kirk, who attracted criticism following a recent debate performance. After Duckworth – who was born to a Thai mother and American father – said she traced her roots back to the Revolutionary War, Kirk replied “I had forgotten that your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington.

The win is a big one for Democrats who hope to retake control of the Senate. To do so they will need to gain three seats. Eight Senate races are considered competitive, and they have already suffered losses in Indiana and Ohio. 

See what she had to say about tonight's result:

For those in need of some light stress relief, Instagram is trending with images of American pets watching the election unfold.

Hillary Clinton has won Connecticut - a solidly Democratic state worth seven Electoral College votes - according to ABC News projections.

Florida is well-known for changing the outcome of the election in 2000 but not everyone voting today will know why many are paying such close attention to the outcome there tonight. 

If you're one of those that doesn't have an intricate knowledge of 'hanging chads', you can learn about them and much more in our election glossary. 

ABC News projects Arkansas for Trump.

The state where the Clintons began their political lives, supported their golden boy Bill Clinton through the 90s, but has voted Republican since 2000.

Here's the current state of play:

As results pour in, a group mostly made up of Clinton supporters are urging people to stay in line if they haven’t voted by the time the polls closed. 

As long as voters are in the queue before the official closing time, they’re entitled to a ballot.

Congressman John Lewis, a leader of the civil rights movement, tweeted this earlier in the evening:

On Twitter, the hashtag #StayInLine has shot up in popularity over the last hour. The issue was at the centre of a lawsuit in Nevada on Tuesday when the Trump campaign alleged that polling stations unfairly stayed opened late during early voting. The suit was thrown out.

Ned Foley, an elections expert at Ohio State University, explains in a blog post, external that voting booths are allowed to stay open without any special authority or government directive.

“Registered voters who arrive at the polls while they are still open are entitled to cast ballots even if they must wait until after the scheduled time for the polls to close,” he writes.

Clinton is projected to win her home state of New York, but Trump is winning in Texas, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, according to ABC News. Trump is also projected to win the Nebraska state vote - 4 out of 5 electoral college votes. None of these are seen as battleground states.

Here's the artist standing by to sketch Hillary Clinton if she wins.

He's already got a fistful of pencils at the ready.

Washington DC is holding its breath, like the rest of America, waiting to find out who the next White House occupant will be.

The BBC's Charlie Northcott, external, took a walk around the city earlier this morning. 

Take a look at some of his photos: