Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump are tied in a close battle across seven crucial battleground states, just two days ahead of the US presidential election, the final New York Times/Siena College poll indicated.
According to the survey conducted between October 24 and November 2, involving 7,879 likely voters, Harris maintains slight advantages in Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin, whilst Trump holds a narrow lead in Arizona. The candidates are virtually neck-and-neck in Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania.
The results across all seven states fall within the poll’s 3.5 per cent margin of error.
The poll reveals that amongst the 40 per cent of respondents who had already cast their ballots, Harris leads by 8 percentage points. However, Trump shows stronger support among those who haven’t voted yet but indicate they are very likely to do so.
Pennsylvania’s results demonstrate Trump’s growing strength, as Harris’s previous four-point advantage in earlier New York Times polls has diminished to a tie.
Both candidates are focusing on key battleground states during the weekend, with Trump scheduled to visit Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia on Sunday, whilst Harris plans to campaign in Michigan.
Monitoring key timings across these states, which span four time zones, requires precise attention. Here’s the timeline across all states in Eastern Standard Time:
Arizona opens polling at 8 am, where Biden won by 0.3 per cent in 2020, marking only the second Democratic presidential victory there in nearly 70 years. Polls close at 9 pm. Vote releases begin after all precincts report or one hour post-closure.
Georgia’s polls operate from 7 am to 7 pm. Biden’s historic 2020 victory here, the first Democratic win since Bill Clinton in 1992, came with a margin of 11,779 votes. Trump’s legal challenges to these results remain central to an ongoing Fulton County case.
Michigan’s voting begins at 7 am. After nearly three decades of Democratic victories, Trump won in 2016, but Biden reclaimed it in 2020 with approximately 154,000 votes. Most polls close at 8 pm ET, with remaining areas closing at 9 pm ET.
Nevada commences voting at 10 am ET. Despite having fewer electoral votes, it has proven reliable in predicting presidential outcomes in 27 of 30 previous elections. Polls close at 10 pm ET, with results following after the final voter.
North Carolina’s polls operate from 6.30 am to 7.30 pm ET. Despite limited Democratic success since 1968, the state remains competitive, with Trump’s 2020 victory being his narrowest state win.
Pennsylvania, opening at 7 am ET, offers 19 electoral votes, the highest among battlegrounds. Biden’s 2020 victory margin was roughly 80,000 votes. Polls close at 8 pm ET.
Wisconsin’s voting hours run from 8 am to 9 pm ET. The state has consistently delivered close results, with victory margins under 1 percentage point in 2000, 2004, 2016, and 2020.
