Us elections:America votes: Now a nation decides between Clinton and Trump as he hopes his last-minute momentum can cause an upset and defeat favorite Hillary

America votes: Now a nation decides between Clinton and Trump as he hopes his last-minute momentum can cause an upset and defeat favorite Hillary

• The most divisive, bitter and fascinating presidential election in living memory ends on Tuesday
• Both candidates will vote in New York with Donald Trump in Manhattan and Hillary Clinton in Westchester
• Tiny New Hampshire town of Dixville Notch voted in favor of Hillary 4-2 at midnight EST 

By David Willlams

PUBLISHED: 05:59 GMT, 8 November 2016 500View comments

The most divisive, fascinating, embittering and dramatic presidential election campaign in recent memory came to an end in the wee hours of Tuesday. Now America votes.

More than 200 million people are eligible to cast ballots, finally deciding between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Trump, a billionaire first-time candidate whose political debut was initially seen as a circus act, bested 16 other Republicans for the right to face Clinton, who has lived and breathed campaigns and elections for more than 40 years.

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Early dawn: Voters in Arlington, Virginia wait to vote before their polling station opens on Tuesday

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High turnouts: Voters fill out their forms and wait to vote at a polling station in the Brooklyn borough of New York

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Lines grew longer once the polling places began to open in Virginia on Tuesday morning

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Early birds: Voters in Brooklyn, New York line-up outside a polling station around 6am on Tuesday morning 

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Signs for the many candidiates and ballot questions line the sidewalk outside a Virginia polling station 

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The CNN electoral college prediction after it fell under 270 - with North Carolina, Florida and New Hampshire not just in play but being visited by both candidates at the last minute gives Donald Trump a narrow path to victory and the White House

The real estate tycoon has built a devoted following of tens of millions, including large numbers of Americans who have never voted before.

Along the way he angered some in the Republican Party establishment who saw him as a reckless insult-generator destined to alienate large swaths of the American electorate. 

Clinton and her 800-strong campaign team stitched together an agenda that was unremarkable for a typical Democrat, save for a leftward tilt brought about during an unexpectedly strong primary challenge from Senator Bernie Sanders

She pledged to raise the minimum wage, provide paid medical leave, build infrastructure, and try to reform the nation's immigration system.

But with Republicans likely to keep control of Congress, one of her chief requisite challenges will be to play defense and protect Obama's legacy from continued GOP attacks – while protecting her own administration from investigations that Republicans have already telegraphed.

Clinton pulled off an organized, scripted, and visually stunning convention that whipped up the party faithful, tended to interest groups – and crystalized concerns about Trump’s anti-immigrant appeals and a proposed Muslim immigration ban with a passionate speech by a Gold Star father whose son died in Iraq.

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Big day: An emotional Hillary Clinton was seen after casting her vote in Chappaqua, New York (above) 

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Rock the vote: Tim Kaine cast his ballot Tuesday morning with his mother Mary in Virginia (above)

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Kaine said in an interview on Thursday morning that he believes Clinton has a good shot at winning what he calls the 'checkmate' states like North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Florida

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Eric and Lara Trump posted a photo of themselves after voting on Tuesday at their polling station in New York

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Proud son: Eric also shared a photo of his ballot after casting his vote in New York on Tuesday (above)

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In the first results of the day, residents in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire voted in favor of Hillary Clinton

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Clay Smith, who cast his ballot late last night, saw four of his fellow residents in Dixville Notch supported Clinton/Kaine, while two ballots were cast for Trump/Pence. One protest voter wrote in Mitt Romney with the final vote going Johnson/Weld

Trump, who crushed Republican opponents through improvised and slashing attacks, immediately engaged, staging a Twitter and TV war with Khizr Khan in an unorthodox moves that caused a media frenzy but failed to appeal to centrist voters he needed. 

Trump gave his enemies ammunition by repeating more than 500 times a pledge that as president he would wall off America from Mexico, stemming the flow of narcotics and human chattel while defending the border from an unchecked flood of immigrants with no legal right to be in the U.S. 

More damaging still was a series of episodes that angered feminists and other powerful women in a year when Trump was running against America's would-be first female president. 

His candidacy brought women out of the woodwork to accuse him of sexual misconduct of varying severity, including one woman who sued him for an alleged teen rape – and then withdrew the case when her story fell apart.

Prior to her stop in North Carolina, Clinton was in Philadelphia for a rally with President Obama and the First Lady

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Hillary Clinton, pictured second left, was joined on stage in the early hours of this morning with her daughter Chelsea, left, and musicians Jon Bon Jovi and Lady Gaga in Morrisville, North Carolina

Hillary Clinton's chief aide Huma Abedin, right, was spotted back stage at a campaign rally in North Carolina in the early hours of Tuesday morning after her brief exile during the FBI's probe into her estrange husband Anthony Weiner's laptop

Trump denied every charge, calling his accusers rank opportunists who sought 15 minutes of fame. Some, he said, were Democratic plants, and others were cashing in.

He had a harder time explaining a hot-mic audio recording from a 2005 taping of 'Access Hollywood,' in which he was recorded lewdly describing the ease with which famous men could sexually assault women in their orbits.

Through it all, Trump's campaign crowds grew, with his reality-show star power outdrawing every other candidate in both parties.  

Trump's massive media exposure created both fans and detractors, hardening positions on both ends of the political spectrum – and inside the GOP, where 'NeverTrump' Republicans pledged not to support him even at the cost of delivering the White House to a second Clinton.

Ultimately Trump won over most of his party's establishment as he lent his charisma to fundraising events that benefited conservative candidates in other races.

But more importantly, an army of torch-bearing, pitchfork-wielding 'Trumpkins,' as his political enemies styled them, embraced his rough edges as signs of solidarity.  

Jonathan Pozzie, center, looks clearly emotional as Donald Trump addresses a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire last night

Trump's team, including campaign manager Kellyann Conway, left, and Tiffany Trump, right, watched the candidate in his final campaign stop early this morning in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the Republican's hope they can take the state

Polls on the east coast will open at 6am EST with the earliest polls closing 12 hours later in areas of Indiana and Kentucky

Trump, pictured leaving Grand Rapids, Michigan, returned home to New York where he will vote in Manhattan on Tuesday

Clinton's own weaknesses were just as hard to paper over.

For nearly the entire length of her campaign she had to contend with nonstop barrages of stories and charges about her conduct in the State Department, her husband’s foundation, and charges of ‘pay to play’ corruption.

The focus begin in part with the release of ‘Clinton Cash,’ a book that drew connections among the interlocking webs of Clinton donors, confidants, foreign governments and longtime friends.

TRUMP GETS SHOCK BOOST FROM EARLY VOTING IN FLORIDA AND NORTH CAROLINA

Early voting numbers in North Carolina and Florida – two states that Donald Trump needs to win – suggest that Hillary Clinton may be underperforming President Barack Obama in 2012, while Trump is doing better than GOP nominee Mitt Romney.

In North Carolina, 305,000 fewer Republicans have turned out. However, Republican voters were trailing Democrats by 447,000 four years before and Romney won the state by 97,000, as Republican voters more prone to come out on Election Day then head to the polls early.

In Florida, Democrats are ahead by just around 33,000 votes. But, with 6.1 million early votes cast, that lead only amounts to .5 percentage points of the in-person early vote total. Back in 2012, Democrats had a 3.7 point advantage in early voting, which was enough to hold back Republican Mitt Romney from taking the state.

In March 2015, a bombshell rocked the campaign when it was revealed Clinton had maintained a private email server at her New York home. Then began the drip-drip-drip of thousands of State Department emails, which not only showed Clinton dealt with secret and sensitive matters on her, but brought forth an array of damaging stories.

The drumbeat grew so intense that even Sanders pronounced Americans 'sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails' in a primary debate.

After a lengthy investigation, FBI Director James Comey announced he would not recommend charges, but still called Clinton out for her ‘extremely careless’ behavior.

Wikileaks dumped the other trove of documents that defined the campaign, hacked emails from Clinton campaign chair John Podesta. They exposed myriad internecine battles, cozy contacts with the press, and efforts to kneecap Sanders’ primary run.

They were also embarrassing and could continue to rattle careers inside Clinton’s inner circle. But the leaks, which U.S. officials link to a Russian government hack, didn’t appear to bring a major turn in the race.

Americans will learn Tuesday night whether history will remember Trump's unusual approach as a groundbreaking innovation or as a one-off flop.

He said Monday that he's not interested in becoming a chapter in a political science textbook.

'If we don't win, Trump said during his penultimate rally in new Hampshire, 'it will be the biggest waste of energy, time and money in my whole life.'

The first result came in after midnight Tuesday, with the tiny community of Dixville Notch in New Hampshire casting their ballots as Monday became Tuesday. They backed Hillary Clinton by a vote of 4 to 2. Mitt Romney, the unsuccessful Republican nominee four years ago, won a surprising write-in vote.

It will be nearly 24 hours, and maybe longer, before the world knows whether the northern New England town was a bellwether.

Polls opened in some eastern states as early as 6:00 a.m. Tuesday, and the final votes will be cast in Alaska when it's 1:00 Wednesday morning in New York - ending an election season that has enthralled and horrified in equal measure.

It's impossible to tell when forecasters from TV networks and wire services will project a winner. In 2012 the race was called for President Barack Obama shortly after 11:00 p.m. Eastern time.

The Electoral College system provides one vote for each member of Congress, including both the Senate and the House of Representatives. A candidate needs to claim 270 votes, the smallest possible majority, in order to claim the White House.

Hillary Clinton, pictured, returned home to New York in the early hours of Tuesday morning to vote in today's election

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Both candidates traveled thousands of miles in the final few hours to address election rallies in the battleground states 

In Manchester, New Hampshire, Trump was joined on stage by most of his children and their spouses

If the margin is tight all evening and the result is in doubt, western battleground states like Nevada, Colorado and Arizona could turn the tide. Their polling places will be among the last to call it a night.

Both candidates are voting in New York, and there is one certainty about the victory party: It will be in New York City. The Trump and Clinton campaigns booked celebration venues just two miles apart in Manhattan.

New York City police officers will flood the streets Tuesday to prevent violence and disorder breaking out when the results are announced.

There are similarly massive security presences the nation as the FBI has put law enforcement agencies on alert for an ISIS attack. The CIA and other spy agencies are on guard for potential cyber attacks aimed at monkeywrenching the electoral process.

One public safety issue New York City won't have to deal with is a promised fireworks display launched from a Hudson River barge as Clinton's Election Night party declares victory.

Campaign officials withdrew their application for a pyrotechnics permit, limiting the risk of mockery if she were to lose.

DIXVILLE NOTCH: THE TINY NEW HAMPSHIRE COMMUNITY THAT VOTED AT MIDNIGHT

Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, voted at midnight and announced its results earlier

Dixville Notch, an unincorporated community in Dixville township, New Hampshire, voted at midnight in the early minutes of Tuesday, as per tradition.

Town moderator Tom Tillotson was pictured arriving with ballots Monday night.

A whopping total of eight votes were cast and the community announced its results before the rest of the country.

Dixville Notch voted Democrat for the first time since 1968 as four out of eight votes went to Clinton.

Trump came in second, with two votes.

One vote went to Gary Johnson and the last one was a write-in for Mitt Romney.

Dixville Notch suffered a 20 per cent drop in population this year when two people moved away.

But a new resident moved in not long afterwards, bringing the total current population to nine.

Voters in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire traditionally cast their votes at midnight. Town moderator Tom Tillotson is pictured arriving with ballots Monday

THE LONGEST DAY - AND NIGHT: HOW ELECTION WILL UNFOLD

Midnight: First in the nation to vote is Dixville Notch, New Hampshire

6am: The earliest polls on the East Coast open. Though some in New Hampshire open at midnight.

6pm: EST-time zoned areas of Indiana and Kentucky close

7pm: Polls close in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia. All EST-time zoned areas (the majority) of Florida close

7:30pm: North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia polls close

8pm: Polls close in Washington, DC, and 16 states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan (the EST-time zoned part, aka most of it) and New Hampshire. Other states include Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Tennessee. The CST-time zoned parts (the panhandle) of Florida close at 7pm CST

8:30: polls close for Arkansas

9pm: Polls close in 14 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Texas, and Wisconsin. Michigan’s CST-time zoned area closes. Also closing are Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, New York and Wyoming

10pm: Polls close in four states, including Iowa, Utah and Nevada and Montana

If the 2012 election is any indication on how results roll in, Romney was winning until 10:30pm, and an hour later - as California results started to come in - Obama was on the brink of re-election

11pm: polls close in California, Washington state, Oregon, North Dakota (FYI some close at 10), Idaho and Hawaii

11.12pm: this was when the 2012 election was called by NBC, with CBS and Fox News following at 11.16pm, CNN at 11.18pm and ABC the last at 11.23pm. 

Wednesday 

Midnight: Results on House of Representatives will likely be in by now. First polls close in Alaska.

In 2012 Mitt Romney delivered his concession speech a few minutes after midnight. 

1am: Final polls close in Alaska. 

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HOW DOES THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE WORK? 

The electoral college is made up of 538 voters - 435 Representatives and 100 Senators, plus three electors for the District of Colombia.

A candidate needs to win a majority of 270 electoral college votes to become President.  

This voters' college make their pick based on which candidate receives a majority of votes in their corresponding states. That candidate receives all that state's electoral college votes.

An exception is made in Nebraska and Maine, where votes are assigned by proportional representation - meaning either candidate could receive votes from different congressional districts.

It is possible to win the electoral college vote and lose the popular vote - as with George W Bush in 2000. He eventually won the presidency over Al Gore following a Supreme Court ruling which had the ultimate effect of awarding Florida's votes to Bush. 

The creators of the Constitution set up the system as a limit on direct democracy - or in Alexander Hamilton's words, as a way of preserving 'the sense of the people' - in other words to avoid a malicious majority forming. It also tries to ensure the rights of smaller states.

The electors cast their votes on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December and are counted in Congress on January 6. 

The new President is then sworn in on January 20.  

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