After months of campaigning in the United States, an election dropout, and assassination attempts, Americans have cast their ballots to decide who will take over the White House for the next four years.

Election results have been called in 42 states and in Washington, DC, while several swing states still continue their vote count.

Who is leading in the US election results so far?

Former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump is leading against his Democratic counterpart, Vice President Kamala Harris. But the margin between them in several swing states remains razor-thin.

With 246 Electoral College votes projected in his favour so far, Trump is inching towards the 270-mark that a candidate needs to win. Harris is projected to have won 214 Electoral College votes so far and has more than 63 million votes (47.3 percent of the popular vote) overall. Trump, by contrast, has won more than 68 million votes (51.2 percent of the popular vote) so far.

The Associated Press (AP) has called 25 states for Trump, including solidly Republican states and the swing states of Georgia and North Carolina. Among all the red states called, Texas has the highest number of Electoral seats at 40. While Trump also won in Nebraska, the state’s Electoral College has been split between him and Harris.

Seventeen states have been called for Harris, including California where she previously served as attorney general, and New York. She is also projected to win the District of Columbia, which is not a state but has three Electoral College votes. California has 54 Electoral College votes, the highest of any state.

What was Election Day like?

Voting proceeded smoothly in most areas, though some states saw long lines.

There were software glitches in Pennsylvania, protests against US funding of Israel’s war in New York, and bomb threats in Georgia. The FBI deemed the threats, which delayed voting in some counties, to be not credible and likely the work of Russian election interference. Several states, including Georgia and Arizona, took extra security measures to protect voting places.

Arab, Muslim, and progressive voters said they faced a tough choice between two candidates both seen as unsympathetic to Palestine.

Even across the world, from Gaza to Iran, people watched the election intently.

In Thulasendrapuram in southern India – a tiny village where Harris’s grandfather was born – residents gathered to pray for the Democratic candidate to become the first US leader with South Asian roots.

What was Kamala Harris up to on Election Day?

Both candidates spent Election Day urging their supporters to get in line, stay in line, and cast their ballots.

Harris spent part of the day calling radio stations to encourage her supporters to vote. “We’ve got to get it done. Today is voting day, and people need to get out and be active,” CNN quoted Harris as telling one radio station in Georgia.

She also visited the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC, where she held phone banks with volunteers.

What was Donald Trump up to on Election Day?

Trump addressed the media after casting his ballot in Palm Beach, Florida, saying he feels “very confident” about his election odds.

“It looks like Republicans have shown up in force,” Trump said. “We’ll see how it turns out”.

He added, “I hear we’re doing very well.”

Florida also voted on six constitutional amendments, including measures to legalise marijuana and protect abortion rights.

When first asked how he voted on the state’s abortion measure, Trump deflected, saying he had done “a great job bringing it back to the states”. This referenced his appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices who in 2022 helped overturn Roe v Wade – which made abortion a right nationally.

When pressed again, he snapped, telling the reporter to “stop talking about that”.

It is now officially ELECTION DAY! This will be the most important day in American History.

Voter enthusiasm is THROUGH THE ROOF because people want to Make America Great Again. That means lines are going to be long!

I need you to deliver your vote no matter how long it takes.…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2024

His running mate JD Vance also voted in Cincinnati, Ohio, the same morning.

“Look, I feel good. You never know until you know, but I feel good about this race,” Vance said after he and his wife cast their ballots.

Vance said he would depart for Palm Beach, Florida, later in the day to be with Donald Trump as results come in.

What’s next in the election?

Eight states, including five battleground areas are yet to be called by AP while most official results are yet to be determined.

But while there are as many as 21 routes for Trump to win the presidency, Harris’s pathways have dwindled significantly – down to just three.

And all those remaining tracks require Harris to win one state: Pennsylvania, with its 19 Electoral College votes. As of early Wednesday morning, she was narrowly trailing Trump in the state.