Going down to the wire

VOTE COUNT: GROWING RISK OF DELAYS, LEGAL CHALLENGES EXPECTED

• When the race is tight, it could take days before a victor is projected.

As Americans voted on election day yesterday, officials were calling for patience as they tally ballots in what could be a historically close presidential race – and warning that it could take days to find out who has won.

Under the US system, citizens do not vote directly for their leader. Instead, their ballots elect the 538 members of a group called the electoral college, which then elects the president and vice-president.

Each state casts its electoral college votes for the candidate that won its popular vote.

Bigger states, with more representatives in the US Congress, get a larger share of the 538 electoral college votes on offer.

Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris and her Republican rival Donald Trump will be vying to get to the all-important 270 votes that pushes them past the halfway mark and guarantees them the keys to the Oval Office.

But with this year's race going down to the wire, experts point to a growing risk of delays and complications like legal challenges over the vote count.