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the nation decides. millions of americans go to the polls their next president. after months of campaigning, kamala harris and donald trump are now waiting on the country's verdict. and as the voting draws to a close, the counting will begin, but how long will it be before we know who has won the race for the white house? ♪ welcome to bbc world news america, coming from madison, wisconsin, a slightly rainy madison, wisconsin, as the curtain begins to fall now and what has been a remarkable presidential campaign in 2024. it's really been like none we've ever seen before in the country. we've seen one nominee, the sitting president drop out of the race just four months ahead of election day.

joe biden was then of course replaced by his vice president, kamala harris. she has enjoyed her -- an early honeymoon period, jumping to an early lead in the polls, but then the gap began to tighten. her opponent, former president donald trump was shot and injured during an attempted assassination in pennsylvania. he was also the target of a suspected second assassination plot, and he did become the former -- first former president to be convicted of a felony. that brings us to today, an election that has of now according to the polls, is incredibly tight. it is expected to be decided by a handful of votes in a handful of states. we are standing in one of them right now, the state of wisconsin is one of those seven swing states where we are expecting this election to be won or lost. we can take a look at the polls and where things stand, of course in wisconsin things arnett and neck. there's a look at those national

polls, a flurry of them arriving in the last 24 hours or so, each with a slightly different take on the figures. instead of looking at endboards both points, you see -- individual points, kamala harris about a point ahead in the national polls. but is not of course the popular vote that will end up deciding this election. let's look at the battleground states, that's where things will really matter and the electoral college votes comes out of those seven swing states. they were very close last time around. it's a similar story in 2024. the polls have only tighten further over these last weeks and months. the other battleground states even closer, neither candidate really can rely on certain victory, if you're looking at any of these crucial states, that's because election results are often different than polls. they can vary by about three point see the way and that would be enough to change the outcome

if you look at the polls now. tuesday has been the final chance of course for each of these candidates to make their pitch to voters for the polls close. donald trump spoke as he voted in palm beach, florida. and he said there would be no violence, no matter the results. >> my supporters are not violent people. i certainly don't want any violence, but these are great people. these are people that believe in no violence. carl: kamala harris has already voted by mail but she surprised some voters today by making some phone calls at a phone bank station in washington dc. take a look. >> hi, carolyn. hi, how are you? carl: there we heard from the

two people that america is deciding between. let's hear from the people that really matter today, and that would be the voters themselves. here are some of what people who cast their ballots today had to say. >> we are making history here. >> hopefully we get the results by the end of the day, but i seriously doubt it. they need serious time to see. >> what's discouraging for me is the amount of vitriol and meanness we have seen so far today. >> it's the craziest election i've ever seen, which we kind of knew. >> i'm glad it's over. it's been a long road. it's been like 20 years going on with this campaigning and phone calling and everything else, but i'm glad it's over. and i hope everything works out great. i hope people get along and no difficulties. carl: let's bring in our correspondent who is with the kamala harris campaign at that

watch party there in washington, d.c., and howard university. what can we expect from kamala harris tonight? >> kamala harris has said that she is going to have dinner at home with her family, that is apparently a tradition that she is going to continue with this evening. and then eventually she's going to make her way here to howard university for the election watch party. remember that she graduated from this university back in 1986. this is something of a homecoming for ms. harris. she spent the day speaking to radio stations in battleground states, really trying to encourage people to just go out and vote. but after that, she just was pretty much up to her usual ice presidential duties, getting briefings and having meetings with staff members. perhaps some calm in the normalcy of her day, because today is going to be a historic

moment, which ever way it goes. carl: i know you are there in washington, d.c., the vice president had this massive rally on the lips just in front of the white house. how would you describe the closing message from the vice president? >> i think that message really came in two parts. the first part, you really hurt are saying why would be dangerous for america to elect donald trump and how he would be hurting democracy. but then there was a shift in her speech, when she appealed to a more optimistic tone, where she was talking about change and just how important america is in terms of people's dreams and democracy, really highlighting those optimistic tones. that is actually something she has carried through to the rest of her campaign in its remaining days, consistently trying to be more up beat and actually not

really referring to her competitor at all in these last few days. assigned just how she's trying to make a shift in terms of her message to the american people. carl: how is the vice president feeling? obviously we we saw how tight the polls are. we heard from both of the candidates, but is there a sense of trepidation? is there a sense of confidence? how is kamala harris feeling? >> i think both camps are going to say the same thing, that they are feeling optimistic, and that they believe they are going to emerge as the winners. that's just how american politics works on election day. that's kind of the message you're going to get from both candidates. but as you rightly pointed out, carl, for months we've seen that the polls have had them and. it is razor close. and even now that we've come to the end of this campaign, it is

still just that close. so it will be interesting to see what happens this evening and tomorrow and the day after that. carl: samira hussain there with the kamala harris campaign. in a few moments, will hear from our correspondent who was with the trump campaign tonight. let's go to national politics reporter with axios. we just heard there, confidence really on both sides, but over the course of this campaign, the harris campaign has struggled a bit with some issues, looking at immigration, also with the conflict in the middle east. it seems as if that campaign has struggled to try to bring parts of its coalition together that normally would be strong democratic supporters. what do you make of the way that the vice president has campaigned and whether she didn't have to to bring in most typical blue voters. >> she's the vice president, a

lot of these issues she has been troubling to work on -- struggling to work on president ayden. we've seen her change the way she talked about the economy, finally saying yes, i hear you, i know you're going through pain with inflation. she highlighted her background and said that she is supported the bipartisan senate bill on immigration. these are very different approaches from president biden. and she knows she has a better chance running as a different candidate. carl: one of the big issues we will be watching tonight is of course abortion. this is the first big presidential election post dobbs, that supreme court

decision that overturned the right to an abortion nationwide. how will you be following that, could that be one of the biggest issues you think motivating those voters that are coming out to the polls today? >> i think it's one of the top issues for sure. we know that in 20, m aquatic senators came out in large numbers in states where the ballot initiatives were codifying the right to abortion in the state constitutions. and that is the case in states like arizona. the question is to what extent it will impact women and their vote. carl: we've heard a lot of talk about the ground game, knocking on doors, making those phone calls. we saw the vice president herself picking up the phone and calling voters, reminding them to get out to the polls today and vote. you see an advantage in that

ground game with either party right now? >> yes, this has been the story of the entire year. trump had somewhat of a ground game in the primaries, but after the primaries, he was slow to build out a traditional ground game. the so-called election integrity issues, the trunk campaign has had to outsource their ground operation primarily now to elon musk's pac. you have to take the first 15-30 seconds of a door not explaining who you are, instead of just saying i'm here with the trunk campaign or the harris campaign. and harris campaign has very motivated voters out there knocking on doors. carl: so many issues that could

affect this election. it could come down to just which campaign is able to get those voters out to the polls. thank you very much. we want to head now to anna foster in another one of those crucial swing states for us, the state of pennsylvania. what is the latest you are hearing there now? both campaigns obviously looking at this in the crunch. >> welcome to philadelphia. this polling place you can see behind me, to never to go before the doors opened as the sun was coming up, we were here and there was a queue that stretched for a city block. it was like that for hours. people have really been turning out in the city today. unsurprisingly when you consider the time, effort, energy, and money that both sides have poured into trying to win this key state of pennsylvania. those precious 19 electoral college votes that would really smooth the path to the white house for either kamala harris

or donald trump. those big issues of course that a been at the forefront of everybody's minds have been talked about by voters on the streets here today. things like immigration, the economy, america's place in the world, but also people are looking ahead to the next few days, particularly because pennsylvania is one of the slowest states actually process and report its results. people have been speaking to today queuing here this morning are little bit nervous and scared about what might happen next. >> i am nervous. i am nervous as to whether we will get the best result, and then whether he will accept it. there could be writing in the streets. i don't know. -- there could be rioting in the streets. none of it would be helpful for our country. >> there's going to probably be some kind of violence from a

fringe group of americans regardless of the outcome. but we can't stop progress and we can't stop pushing for progress simply because we are afraid something bad might happen. >> there is a real mix of emotions here. it's interesting just standing here on the street corner tonight, a lot of people out, there's a heady mix of anticipation of what the next few hours and days may bring. that sort of emotion as well, and this state has been at the center of so many of the big moments during this electoral cycle. not far away from where, harris her final election rally yesterday evening. this is the stateboard donald trump survived that assassination attempt in butler a few months ago. there have been a couple of issues throughout the day closer towards pittsburgh. electoral officials attended a petition to extend voting hours because their electronic voting machines were not working this

morning and some had to leave without casting their ballots. but in general, it looks like things have gone smoothly. had that warning that they will really be keeping a close eye on what happens here because they know that this is the result that both campaigns will wait for and will really pour over to make sure that result is correct. carl: anna foster there for us in pennsylvania. back here in wisconsin i'm joined by our panel of political experts. on my left, brandon schulz, former's consummate publican party chair. on my right, a former wisconsin democratic party chair. thank you both for being here. brandon, in terms of the state of wisconsin, what will you be watching for tonight after those polls close? >> the most important thing at this stage, got to look and see who is turning out. in both republican and democrat counties, who is exceeding what

they did in 2020 or 2016? to the better turn out to your voters, that gives you the winner. if you're just matching what you've done in the past, it may not give you enough. we will look at probably a dozen counties around the state or presidential and some down ballot races. at this point it's all about turnout. if voters haven't gotten the message and made up their mind by now, they are not going to get there. >> wisconsin we've seen almost half of 2020 voters vote early this year. martha, is that the key to tonight? >> i think it is about turnout. we need democratic strongholds, milwaukee and madison, to come and strong. we also want to look at those rural areas. in 2016, we lost because we lost in those rural areas. wisconsin has a better ground game and we are reaching out talking to every democrat, everybody across our state we

want to be sure those rural areas come and strong for us too. carl: coming into tonight, the polls look close, but they are confident. what edge do you think the trunk campaign feels it has right now? >> it is so close. people are trying to make something out of early voting, who had more visits, where did they go to the right place? it's just so close and i'm not certain there's one thing that either campaign can do at this point other than rely on the base that they have and that they are turning out the vote. >> same question over to you, if you are kamala harris, what makes you confident tonight? >> she has seen the energy. in 2016, we did not have the energy for the democratic ticket that we have here now. to see kamala and tim walz drawing in the people, and honestly, doing doors. i'm not hearing from people that they are concerned about it, i

think she has put everything on the field. she has done everything she can to turn out the vote and we will see what happens tonight. >> what was the response when you knocked on the door this morning? >> i think everybody really wants this election to be over, honestly. everyone has been seeing and hearing a lot. people have made their decision and they are getting out to vote. i hope anyone who hasn't voted is getting out right now. we want to just see who the next president of the united states will be. >> there is a lot more at stake here as well this year, control of the house and senate up for grabs. wisconsin has a crucial race in terms of a senate seat that is upper grabs. >> wisconsin is one of those states that will decide who has the majority after the election. it could be a one or two seat majority but there's a very competitive race in wisconsin.

and that will be as close as the presidential race is. it's just within a point or half point. and that, too, will be determined by who you get out to vote, how often and where it is. you can have all the ads you want but at this point, there's nothing else that really is going to win the race for somebody. >> we mentioned earlier with our reporter about abortion being a key issue. is there one thing you would pinpoint nationwide that might be a big factor tonight? >> if my mother was alive today, she would be 100 years old, and my daughters have less rights than my mother did. we want to be sure that women who go to the emergency room and are having a miscarriage but the baby is still alive, a woman's life is in danger, she should have a right to have an abortion and save her life. unfortunately, there is a wonderful woman in texas who just died because of that very

thing. it's really motivation because everybody's looking at the rights being taken away from women. it is motivating a lot of people to get out, women and men. >> we thank you both and we will come back to you shortly. as we mentioned, wisconsin is one of those very tight swing states across the nation. one of the really top that everyone looks at is the marquette law school pole. his most recent poll came out a couple days going did show this race essentially can. a very slim lead for kamala harris and we've been speaking with the director of that pole, charles franklin. thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. your poll found harris now with a slim one lead over donald trump. that has gone down, though, has in it? she had a four point lead a couple of months ago. why is this race wisconsin

getting even tighter? >> we have seen the race tighten. rump was leading biden in the spring, had at one point lead over harris in early july. but it was in a four point lead in september that shrunk to this one-point lead now. i think partly that is people coming home to their parties, there were democrats dissatisfied with biden who have come home to harris. there were books -- were republicans and the primary season who voted for someone other than trump. i've also largely come home to the party. and just the competitiveness of the race, we've seen these candidates practically live in the state for the last month of the campaign with lots of visits and events. the vice presidential candidates here, too. a kind of competition tightens the race. there are underlying reasons why it is such a close race, but it is normal in a campaign for voters to come home to their party. carl: another really interesting

part of your polling that we seem nationwide, this gender gap is really big in terms of supports among women and men for the two different candidates. how do you see that playing out in the final result? >> it's a striking and persistent difference, not just a one-off. we've seen that gap in the polls all along. women are going 14 points more for harris and mentor going 12 points more for trump, a 26 point gender gap. that's up from 21 points when biden was the candidate. so there is a gender gap even with two male candidates, but it grew a little bit with harris. what is also striking is looking across 14 demographic groups, women are more pro-harris in all but one of those demographic groups. whether we are looking at many women in cities or women and men in the countryside, or men and women who have college degrees

or don't have a college degree, in almost all of those categories, the women are significantly more pro-harris while the men are usually pro-trump or at least less pro-harris. carl: give us something to watch for one suppose close and restart to get results in. are there any trends that might give us an early sense of how this might go? >> i think you can look to the east coast, the states in the eastern time zone and will have results earlier than the midwest, for example. i would be looking to see whether harris is doing better or worse than biden four years ago in states like virginia, which is leaning democratic, we would expect her to win that state, but does she win by as much as five or more, or does she win by less? that would be one tea leaf. two critical swing states, north

carolina and georgia, or both in the eastern time zone, so we should have an idea sometime in the middle of tuesday evening how those two states are going. trump won north carolina, biden won georgia, but they both seem to be leaning towards trump this year. what does the vote look like in those two states? carl: charles franklin, thank you very much. that is the scene from here in wisconsin and of course the big prize tonight, election night, we'll be right there in washington, d.c. that's what both parties are fighting for control of,, announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james.

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amna: good evening, on what's shaping up to be an historic election day. geoff: on the news hour tonight, the final day of the campaign, americans cast their ballots and votes are counted and what is expected to