WASHINGTON (AP) — A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancor draws to a close on Election Day as Americans decided whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.

Voters faced a difficult choice between two candidates who presented radically different temperaments and visions of the world’s largest economy and dominant military power. Tens of millions of Americans voted early – by mail or in person before Tuesday. Those who vote on Election Day For the most part, the process has gone smoothly across the country, with isolated reports of some problems occurring regularly, including long queues, technical glitches and printing errors. ballots.

Harristhe Democratic vice president, could be the first female president if elected. She promised working across the aisle to tackle economic worries and other issues without radically deviating from the path set by President Joe Biden. Assetthe former Republican president, swore replacing thousands of federal workers with loyalists, imposing drastic tariffs on allies and enemies alike, and organizing the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.

Both candidates passed the last hours of the campaign overlapping in Pennsylvania, the largest battleground state. They were trying to energize their bases as well as Americans who were still hesitant or wondering whether or not to vote.

In Scranton, Pennsylvania, Liza Fortt arrived at her polling place in a wheelchair and was not feeling well. But she still ventured to vote for Harris.

“It means a lot to me and my grandchildren, my granddaughters, my nieces. … I was just waiting for this day to come,” said Fortt, 74 and black. She said she never thought she would have such an opportunity to vote for a black woman in a presidential race.

“I’m proud to see a woman, not just a woman, but a black woman,” Fortt said.

Harris and Trump entered Election Day focusing on seven battleground states, five of which Trump carried in 2016 before turning to Biden in 2020: the “blue wall” of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin as well as Arizona and Georgia. Nevada and North Carolina, which Democrats and Republicans respectively won in the last two elections, were also hotly contested.

Tommy Ray Brewer, a 72-year-old auto mechanic, voted for Trump in Black Mountain, North Carolina, an area hard hit by Hurricane Helene.

“People are really divided right now. They are furious, they are angry because of the situation that the United States is in,” Brewer said. “I’ve heard people say we’re in the best shape we’ve ever been in. But I tell them, ‘did you go to the grocery store, did you go to the gas station?’ »

The intensity of the race and the number of states in play increased the likelihood that once again the winner would not be known on election night. There was an early warning sign from the New Hampshire hamlet of Dixville Notch, which by tradition votes after midnight on Election Day. Dixville Notch was split between Trump and Harris, with three votes each.

In the 2020 presidential race, it took four days to declare the winner. Regardless, Trump baselessly claimed that if he lost, it would be because of fraud. Harris’ campaign was preparing for him to try to declare victory before a winner is known Tuesday evening or to try to contest the result if she wins. Four years ago, Trump launched an effort overturn the will of the voters ended with the insurrection of January 6, 2021 at the United States Capitol.

Trump planned to vote Tuesday in his adopted state of Florida, then spend the day at his Mar-a-Lago estate before a party at a nearby convention center. Harris has already voted by mail in her home state of California. She will host a watch party at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington.

Each candidate would take the country to new terrain

Harris, 60, would be the first woman, black and person of South Asian descent, to serve as president. She would also be the first sitting vice president to win the White House in 32 years.

A victory would cap a blitzkrieg unprecedented in American history. Harris rose to the top of the Democratic ticket less than four months ago, after Biden, facing massive pressure from his party after a disastrous debate, ended his re-election bid.

Trump, 78, would be the oldest president never elected. He would also be the first defeated president in 132 years to win another term in the White House, and the first person convicted of a crime to take over the Oval Office.

Having left Washington abandoned by some allies after January 6, Trump defeated young rivals in the Republican primary and solidified the support of longtime allies and harsh critics within his party. He survived an assassination attempt by millimeters at a rally in July. Secret Service Agents foiled a second attempt in September.

A Trump victory would confirm that enough voters are being left out warnings from many former Trump aides or rather prioritized concerns about Biden and Harris’ handling of the economy or the U.S.-Mexico border.

This would practically guarantee that he avoids going to prison after being found guilty of his role in hiding secret payments to an adult film actress during his first campaign for president in 2016. His sentencing in that case could occur later this month. And upon taking office, Trump could end federal investigation in its efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

The election has enormous stakes for America and the world

The potential turbulence of a second Trump term has been amplified by his embrace of the Republican Party’s far right and his disregard for long-standing democratic norms.

Trump used harsh rhetoric against Harris and other Democrats, calling them “demonic,” and proposal for military action against the people he calls “enemies from within”.

Harris, highlighting warnings from former Trump aides, tagged it a “fascist” and criticized Trump for putting women’s lives in danger by appointing three of the judges which overturned Roe v. Wade. In the final hours of the campaign, she tried to adopt a more positive tone and spent the entire final day of Monday without mentioning the name of her Republican opponent.

As Election Day approaches, federal, state and local officials expressed confidence in the integrity of the country’s electoral systems. They were nevertheless prepared to face what they see as an unprecedented level of foreign disinformation – particularly from Russia and Iran – as well as the possibility of physical violence or cyberattacks.

Both sides have armies of lawyers in anticipation of legal challenges on Election Day and afterward. And the country’s law enforcement agencies are on high alert for possible violence.

The outcome of the race was closely watched around the world, with the future of U.S. support for Ukraine, U.S. loyalty to its global alliances and the nation’s commitment to standing up to autocrats.

Harris has committed to continuing to support Defense of kyiv against full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. Trump strongly criticized Ukraine, rented Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggested to him would encourage Russia to attack NATO allies of the United States that Trump considers delinquent.

Voters across the country were also deciding thousands of other races that will decide everything from control of Congress to state-level ballot measures on abortion access.

More than 82 million people voted early — far from the record set during the 2020 pandemic, when Trump encouraged Republicans to stick to voting on Election Day. This time, he urged his voters to lock in their ballots in advance and they complied en masse.

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Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in Palm Beach, Fla., Darlene Superville and Eric Tucker in Washington, and Marc Levy in Allentown, Pa., contributed to this report.

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