Count me in, count me out: US elections on razor edge

The dizzying presidential contest between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris hurtled towards an uncertain finish on Tuesday as millions of Americans headed to the polls to choose between two sharply different visions for the country.

A race churned by unprecedented events like two assassination attempts against Trump, President Joe Biden's surprise withdrawal and Harris' rapid rise remained neck and neck as Election Day dawned, even after billions of dollars in spending and months of frenetic campaigning.

The first ballots cast on Tuesday mirrored the nationwide divide. Overnight, the six registered voters in the tiny hamlet of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, split their votes between Harris and Trump in voting just past midnight.

Across the East Coast and Midwest, Americans began arriving at polls Tuesday morning to cast their votes.

In Raleigh, North Carolina, Johnny Graves had set up a DJ booth outside the polling station at Lincoln AME Church, pepping up morning voters with the Miley Cyrus track "Party in the USA."

In Asheville, North Carolina, Ginny Buddenberg, a 38-year-old stay-at-home mom brought her two twin daughters with her to vote in Haw Creek. She voted for Trump.

"There's just a lot of politics in the classroom, and I feel like there's too much of a push about politics and introducing different kinds of sexual education at a younger and younger age," she said. "Let's go to school and learn how to read."

Trump's campaign has suggested he may declare victory on election night even while millions of ballots have yet to be counted, as he did four years ago. The former president has repeatedly said any defeat could only stem from widespread fraud, echoing his false claims from 2020. The winner may not be known for days if the margins in battleground states are as slim as expected.

No matter who wins, history will be made.