Live Updates: High turnout marks US election day between Kamala Harris, Donald Trump

Americans started heading to the polls Tuesday morning to cast their votes in the 2024 presidential election, which pits the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, against the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump. 

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris boards her plane at John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria Airport on Sept. 13, 2024, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

If she wins, 60-year-old Harris will be the first woman elected to the highest office in the country as well as the first Black and South Asian president. Trump, 78, would be the second US president to have lost an election and won a second term. 

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles on Sept. 13, 2024, in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Nearly 80 million Americans — over a third of eligible voters — have already cast early ballots, reflecting high engagement in this election cycle. 

The results are expected to impact US foreign policy on critical issues, particularly in the Middle East, where ongoing conflicts involve Israel, Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. 

Seven battleground states — Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, and North Carolina — will decide the race to 270 electoral college votes. Michigan, seen as part of the “Blue Wall,” has become a focal point, with many Arab American voters there expressing dissatisfaction with both candidates. 

As polls remain open until midnight and 1:00 a.m. EST Wednesday in Hawaii and Alaska, respectively, a close race could delay the results into tomorrow.