US election latest: Harris and Trump tied in first official result of election - as polling day begins for millions of Americans

Road to 270: The states to watch tonight

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris need 270 Electoral College votes to win the election. 

But which states do the candidates need to win? And do you know your Rust Belts from your Sun Belts? Or why Pennsylvania could hold the key?

Lewis Goodall, Sky US election data analyst and co-host of The News Agents podcast, takes us through what to expect.

Rihanna jokes about voting with son's passport

Rihanna has joked about sneaking into the polls and voting with her son's passport in a video urging Americans to vote today.

The singer, who is a Barbados citizen and cannot cast a ballot, shares her two sons Rza, two, and Riot Rose, who is 15 months old, with US rapper ASAP Rocky.

She posted a video of herself looking out of a car window on Instagram with the caption: "Me trying to sneak into the polls with my son's passport."

The 36-year-old used the hashtag #votecauseicant.

The final night in four minutes: Harris and Trump's closing pitch to voters

After a bitterly contested campaign, we're close to finding out whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris will become the 47th president of the United States.

Both candidates concluded their last day of campaigning with rallies last night.

"The momentum is on our side," Ms Harris told a crowd at a star-studded event in Philadelphia that chanted back: "We will win."

Meanwhile, Mr Trump ended his campaign in Michigan, repeating key messages and warnings about the economy and immigration.

First polls open - here are key timings across the 50 states today

It's 5am on the east coast of the US, and the first polls are opening.

Unlike in the UK, where all polls are open from 7am to 10pm on election day, timings differ across the 50 American states.

Here's a list of when polls open and close in each state today (with both UK times and Eastern Times listed):

10am UK/5am ET

Vermont (polls open between 10am-3pm UK/5am-10am ET depending on town)

11am UK/6am ET

Connecticut, Kentucky (polling sites in the west open at 12pm UK/7am ET), Maine (polling locations open between 11am-3pm UK/6am-10am ET depending on town population), New Jersey, New York, Virginia

11.30am/6.30am ET

North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia

12pm UK/7am ET

Alabama, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida (1pm UK time/8am ET in parts of the Florida Panhandle on Central time), Georgia, New Hampshire (opening times vary by county with the earliest starting at 12pm UK/7am ET), Illinois, Indiana, Kansas (varies by county), Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan (polling sites in four Upper Peninsula counties open at 1pm UK/8am ET), Missouri, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island (polls in New Shoreham open at 2pm UK/9am ET), South Carolina, Wyoming

1pm UK/8am ET

Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota (counties with a population of less than 500 not required to open until 4pm UK/11am ET), Mississippi, Oklahoma, North Dakota (polls start opening at 1pm UK/8am ET and vary by county), South Dakota (polls in the west open at 2pm UK/9am ET), Tennessee, Texas (polling in three western counties open at 2pm UK/9am ET), Wisconsin

1.30pm UK/8.30am ET

Arkansas

2pm UK/9am ET

Colorado, Montana (polling in counties with less than 400 registered voters can open as late as 7pm UK/2pm ET), Nebraska, Nevada (polling sites open at 3pm UK/10am ET with the exception of City Hall in West Wendover), New Mexico, Utah

3pm UK/10am ET

California, Idaho (polling in the north opens at 4pm UK/11am ET)

4pm UK/11am ET

Washington (most voting is done by mail, so times vary by county), Alaska (with the exception of Adak)

5pm UK/12pm ET

Hawaii

Oregon is a vote-by-mail state, so it has no in-person polling locations.

When do polls close?

The first polls to close on the East Coast are in eastern counties of Indiana and Kentucky, at 11pm UK/6pm ET.

The rest of those states, as well as Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia, close at midnight UK/7pm ET. 

Here's the full list of closing times:

Midnight UK/7pm ET

Georgia, Indiana (polls close at 11pm UK/6pm ET in the 80 counties in Eastern Time Zone), Kentucky (polls close at 11pm UK/6pm ET for the 79 counties in the eastern part of the state), South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia

12.30am UK/7.30pm ET

North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia

1am UK/8pm ET

Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida (polls in Eastern Time Zone close at midnight UK/7pm ET), Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire (vary by municipality), New Jersey, Oklahoma,, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee

1.30am UK/8.30pm ET

Arkansas

2am UK/9pm ET

Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas (polling closes at 1am UK/8pm ET in all except four counties in the west), Louisiana, Michigan (same as Kansas), Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota (polling closes at 1am UK/8pm ET in all but eight counties), South Dakota (polls close at 1am UK/8pm ET in the east), Texas (polling closes at 1am UK/8pm ET in all but three counties in the west), Wisconsin, Wyoming

3am UK time/10pm ET

Montana, Nevada (polling location at City Hall in West Wendover closes at 2am UK/9pm ET), Utah

4am UK time/11pm ET

California, Idaho (polling locations in the south close at 3am UK/10pm ET), Oregon (Polling locations in Malheur County close at 3am UK/10pm ET), Washington

5am UK/12am ET

It all comes down to the swing states - here's what you need to know

You'll have heard the term "swing states" a lot during this election period, but let's break down exactly what and where they are so you have the full picture. 

Basically, these are states that hold disproportionate sway in presidential elections because they switch between voting Republican and Democrat. 

Millions of dollars have been poured into campaigning in these areas - underlining that winning the additional college votes is crucial.

This year, the critical states are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and North Carolina.

Arizona - 11 electoral votes

This was the state that gave Joe Biden the presidency in 2020 after backing the Democrats for the first time since the 1990s. 

It's also the place at the heart of the nation's immigration debate due to its long border with Mexico.

Immigration is considered one of the most important issues for voters. 

Donald Trump has said he will carry out the "largest deportation operation" in history if he is elected. 

Kamala Harris has said she will renew a push for comprehensive border legislation that would tighten migration, and has vowed to "enforce our laws" against border crossings.

Georgia - 16 electoral votes

The Democrats flipped Georgia in 2020, with the state's large African-American population playing a key role in their victory.

Fulton County in Georgia is also the area where alleged election interference took place, leading to one of Mr Trump's four criminal charges. 

Gun laws could be a big issue here following a school shooting earlier this year, which saw a 14-year-old boy kill four people and wound nine with an assault-style rifle.

After the shooting, Ms Harris said: "We have to end this epidemic of gun violence."

Throughout her career, she has been a vocal advocate for reinstating a ban on assault weapons. 

Mr Trump has vowed to firmly protect gun rights if he is re-elected. 

North Carolina - 16 electoral votes

Like Georgia, North Carolina used to be a reliable red state.

In the past 50 years, Democrats have won here only twice - in 1976 with Jimmy Carter and in 2008 with Barack Obama.

Despite this, it's classed as a swing state as Republicans saw only slim margins of victory in recent elections.

Data also shows that from 2011 to 2021, many newcomers to North Carolina were from the heavily-Democratic states of California, New York and New England. Black, Latino and multi-racial people also make up 90% of North Carolina's new residents - groups that traditionally tend to lean left.

However the majority of the state's population is white - and polls suggest some are concerned about immigration, which could favour the anti-immigration sentiment of Mr Trump's campaign.

Michigan  - 15 electoral votes

In the last two elections, Michigan has been the state that has picked the winning presidential candidate. 

A key issue here has been the current President Joe Biden's support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza and the wider Middle East crisis.

Activists in the state have been calling for the government to halt its military aid to the country. 

Mr Trump has emphasised his support for Israel, saying during a presidential debate in June that the US should allow it to "finish the job" in Gaza. 

Ms Harris also confirmed her "unwavering commitment to Israel" when meeting with the country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

During the Democratic National Convention, she also drew attention to the "devastating" civilian deaths in Gaza. 

Nevada - 6 electoral votes

Both candidates have been trying hard to win over Latino voters here. 

Home to Las Vegas, it is one of the US regions that has been badly affected financially by COVID. 

The economy, taxes and the cost of living are likely to be key issues for voters. 

Mr Trump's campaign site says his vision for America's economy is "lower taxes, bigger pay cheques and more jobs for American workers". 

Ms Harris has pledged tax relief for small business in her economic policy, as well as a hike to the corporate tax rate and higher taxes for those who earn $1m or more. 

Pennsylvania - 19 electoral votes

Pennsylvania made headlines in July after Mr Trump survived an assassination attempt while holding a rally there. 

Similar to Nevada, the economy is a top issue in the Keystone state, with grocery prices rising faster than in anywhere else in the US.

It's also the most important of the swing states - given that it's worth the most electoral college votes. 

Wisconsin - 10 electoral votes

Prior to independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr pulling out of the race, polls were suggesting he could prove to a problem for Mr Trump and Ms Harris in Wisconsin. 

Some have suggested this might be the state where third-party candidates make a big difference, with Democrats fighting - unsuccessfully - to take Green Party's Jill Stein off the ballot. 

They have argued Ms Stein did not comply with state election laws, and have also filed a complaint against independent candidate Cornel West. 

The state has picked the winner for the last two elections, with Mr Trump describing it as "really important". 

"If we win Wisconsin, we win the whole thing," he said previously. 

Ms Harris has rallied in Wisconsin's Milwaukee, celebrating her official nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate on stage. 

The economy and abortion rights both stand out as key issues for voters.

Despite last night's snub - can Taylor Swift swing it for Harris?

From Beyonce and Bruce Springsteen to Eminem, Cardi B and even a Brat endorsement courtesy of British star Charli XCX - Kamala Harris has not been short of A-list support.

But Taylor Swift, the one-woman pop phenomenon who has smashed world tour records and shifted national economies, is the star most likely to have any sort of impact.

The 34-year-old publicly confirmed her support for Ms Harris in September, writing on social media: "I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos."

Despite much speculation about a possible public appearance alongside Ms Harris on the eve of polling day, in the end, Swift was instead seen cheering on her NFL star boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his Kansas City Chiefs team as they took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Kansas City.

Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga were among the big names at the Democrat's final rally. It is more than likely she would have wanted Swift there. Perhaps the star did not want to dominate headlines on this huge day for her country. America could be about to see its first female president - Swift is not the story here. Or maybe not yet.

In a post about her latest Eras shows, she did include a final "friendly but extremely important" reminder to her 283m+ fans on Instagram, that this is their "last chance to vote".

Millions of Swifties around the world assembled for her tour - can the star have the same effect on the polls?

It's easy to see why politicians are keen to have her star power in their corner, especially to get their message across to younger voters.

But when it comes to politics, celebrity endorsements don't have as much effect as some might think.

According to research published by YouGov last week, about one in 10 Americans (11%) say a celebrity has ever caused them to reconsider their stance on a political issue, while 7% say they have supported a political candidate because of a celebrity endorsement.

In fact, celebrities weighing in on politics can even have the opposite effect to the desired outcome, their poll found, with more than half (51%) saying a star's political position had led them to think less of them.

Unsurprisingly, Republicans - who tend to get fewer A-list endorsements than the Democrats - are especially likely to think celebs should stay out of it.

On the other hand, this year's race for the White House is neck-and-neck, slated as the tightest since at least 2000. And it doesn't matter who wins the popular vote. In the US, it's all about the Electoral College, which means the outcome will be determined by seven key swing states – including Pennsylvania, where Swift grew up.

In 2020, Joe Biden won the state by 81,660 votes. In Georgia, another swing state, there were fewer than 12,000 votes between Mr Biden and Donald Trump. In Arizona, the difference was even lower: 10,457.

The majority of the millions of voters won't be paying attention to what the celebrities have to say, even celebrities with as much clout as Swift. And while performances and speeches by glamorous stars at rallies are loved by the crowds attending, and create viral moments on social media, the majority of their fans planning to vote would likely be ticking the box for the Democrats anyway - especially Swifties, if polls on their political affiliations are anything to go by.

But. If the star can mobilise even a few thousand new or undecided voters in the states that matter, she could potentially help move the dial.

When she confirmed her support for Ms Harris in September, she also shared a link to a voting information site - and in the 24 hours the link was live, almost 406,000 people clicked through to find out more. While not all of these clicks will necessarily translate to votes, it shows how many people are listening.

If Ms Harris wins, when the numbers are analysed, it might well turn out that Swift was part of the story.

We've already had "Swiftonomics". Kamala Harris will be hoping the singer's power now extends to helping determine the next president of the United States, too.

-SKY NEWS