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US Election Vote latest: John McCain 155, Barack Obama 338

Barack Obama won the race to the White House after the polls closed in California.

While results are yet to be officially declared, Obama was comfortably ahead in the voting and will take the 55 votes that come with the state.

He earlier secured 14 electoral votes in the key state of Virginia and struck his first big blows in by winning the battles in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

The latter was a particular setback for the McCain campaign as no modern Republican candidate has ever won the race to the White House after losing Ohio.

Polls closed at 4am UAE time and as results began to pour in, the Illinois senator emerged as a clear leader.

Early results went as predicted, with Senator John McCain winning 16 electoral college votes to Senator Barack Obama's three in the early exchanges.

However as more states from the east coast declared, Obama won the votes in Massachusetts and one of the key battleground states of Pennsylvania.

Obama's advantage was hammered home as most of the east coast states like New York, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maine.- traditionally Democrat strongholds - declared.

Long lines have been reported across the country, with some predictions saying as many as 130 million Americans will take part in the vote – the highest potential vote for almost 50 years.

The states which closed the polls first were Indiana, Virginia, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Vermont.