2024 Elections: News, analysis, and explainers

Tuesday, November 5 is Election Day — and it will mark the end of a historically short, incredibly intense presidential campaign cycle between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. The candidates appear to be locked in a dead heat, according to the latest polls. Seven battleground states dotted across the country — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — could determine the outcome. Most states are reliably red or blue, but these seven tend to “swing” in either direction from one election year to another.

Americans will also have their chance to cast ballots for the Senate, the House, and more. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 34 seats in the Senate are up for grabs. Those contests will decide which party will control Congress.

The first polls are set to close at 6 pm ET, with the final polls closing on Wednesday, November 6, at 12 am ET.

Follow here for the latest news, analysis, and explainers.

• It’s not alarmist: A second Trump term really is an extinction-level threat to democracy
• Elon Musk assures voters that Trump’s victory would deliver “temporary hardship”
• 2024 election violence is already happening
• 5 mysteries that might determine the 2024 election
• The crisis that could ensue if Harris wins narrowly
• How much does early voting tell us about who will be president?
• A new Supreme Court case could change the result of the presidential election
• If Harris wins, will the Supreme Court steal the election for Trump?
• The 7 states that will decide the 2024 election