America’s 200 million-strong electorate went to poll Tuesday to choose whether to send the first female president or a populist property tycoon to the White House. Here are the events as they unveiled.
11.51am
Trump wins White House in astonishing victory
Donald Trump was elected America's 45th president Tuesday, an astonishing victory for a celebrity businessman and political novice who capitalized on voters' economic anxieties, took advantage of racial tensions and overcame a string of sexual assault allegations on his way to the White House.
His triumph over Hillary Clinton will end eight years of Democratic dominance of the White House and threatens to undo major achievements of President Barack Obama. He's pledged to act quickly to repeal Obama's landmark health care law, revoke the nuclear agreement with Iran and rewrite important trade deals with other countries, particularly Mexico and Canada.
The Republican blasted through Democrats' longstanding firewall, carrying Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, states that hadn't voted for a GOP presidential candidate since the 1980s. He needed to win nearly all of the competitive battleground states, and he did just that, claiming Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and others.
Watching the returns at 9:45pm. #ElectionNight #MAGA🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/HfuJeRZbod— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 9 November 2016
Global stock markets and US stock futures plunged deeply, reflecting investor alarm over what a Trump presidency might mean for the economy and trade.
A New York real estate developer who lives in a sparking Manhattan high-rise, Trump forged a striking connection with white, working class Americans who feel left behind in a changing economy and diversifying country. He cast immigration, both from Latin America and the Middle East, as the root of the problems plaguing many Americans and taped into fears of terrorism emanating at home and abroad.
Trump will take office with Congress expected to be fully under Republican control. GOP Senate candidates fended off Democratic challengers in key states and appeared poised to maintain the majority. Republicans also maintained their grip on the House.
Senate control means Trump will have great leeway in appointing Supreme Court justices, which could mean a major change to the right that would last for decades.
Trump upended years of political convention on his way to the White House, leveling harshly personal insults on his rivals, deeming Mexican immigrants rapists and murderers, and vowing to temporarily suspend Muslim immigration to the US. He never released his tax returns, breaking with decades of campaign tradition, and eschewed the kind of robust data and field efforts that helped Obama win two terms in the White House, relying instead on his large, free-wheeling rallies to energize supporters. His campaign was frequently in chaos, and he cycled through three campaign managers this year.
His final campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, touted the team's accomplishments as the final results rolled in, writing on Twitter that "rally crowds matter" and "we expanded the map."
The mood at Clinton's party grew bleak as the night wore out, with some supporters leaving, others crying and hugging each other. Top campaign aides stopped returning calls and texts, as Clinton and her family hunkered down in a luxury hotel watching the returns.
11.38am
Donald Trump becomes 45th US President; Clinton calls Trump to concede.
Scott Shuey, our Business Editor talks about the final verdict
11am
Donald Trump is projected winner of the US presidential race, with 276 electoral votes
10.50am
Republican is just 6 electoral votes away from capturing the presidency
Scott Shuey, our Business Editor says: Hillary Clinton refuses to concede as Trump edges closer to the White House
10.40am
Trump moves within reach of White House
Donald Trump moved within reach of the White House Tuesday night, capturing crucial victories over Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and North Carolina, a remarkable show of strength in an unexpectedly tight race for the presidency.
Trump also battled for a breakthrough in the upper Midwest, a region that reliably backed Democrats in presidential elections for three decades. His victories left Clinton with a perilously narrow path and no margin for error in battleground states where votes were still being counted.
As the race lurched past midnight, neither candidate had cleared the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. Trump stood at 244 to Clinton's 215.
10.30am, Wednesday
Election coverage an unexpected thrill ride on TV
Donald Trump's stunning showing against Hillary Clinton in the presidential election was a final twist in a made-for TV thrill ride - and a stern lesson to journalists to avoid leaping to conclusions.
Relying on polls and group think, television networks began the evening with a barely-concealed assumption that Clinton would win, only to see the actual results suggest something quite different. Tens of millions of Americans followed the drama on all manner of screens.
As midnight passed, the final results were still not known. But many covering the event on television had switched to saying that it was extremely likely that Trump would win.
The results offered a stern rebuke to pollsters - few of whom predicted a Trump victory - newspaper editorial boards and the Hollywood establishment, which lined up nearly unanimously behind Clinton. The post-election period will include soul-searching for those institutions as well as politicians.
Scott Shuey, our Business Editor, talks about markets reaction
9.27am, Wednesday
Clinton wins Nevada; Trump on course for 288 electoral college votes
The BBC has called Nevada for Hillary Clinton.
Meanwhile, FiveThirtyEight is projecting that Trump will win 288 electoral college votes, and Hillary Clinton 249. That would be a comprehensive victory for Donald Trump, and a stunning reversal: in FiveThirtyEight's final pre-election analysis, Clinton was given a 71% chance of winning. A day later she is on 14%.
According to the BBC, Trump has won 52 million votes, and Clinton 51.
Scott Shuey, Business Editor, and Miguel Angel Gomez, Design Director, discuss the impact of Trump winning the US elections
9.06am, Wednesday
Analysis: Clinton's must-win states
Scott Shuey, Business Editor
At this point for the Clinton campaign, it’s now down to a few key states that she cannot lose - Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Winning those state would give her 265. Winning those would mean she is still five votes short of 270, which means she also needs Nevada to win. She will likely win Maine, but its 4 votes don’t help her reach 270 either.
A vote of 269 would be a very unusual result, but that means that neither candidate would have a majority. In that situation, the House of Representatives, which is controlled by the Republicans, would decide who becomes president.
The other remaining states are Utah, Arizona, Iowa, Georgia and New Hampshire. All of those states are currently leaning Republican.
Is it possible that Trump could win? It’s not just possible, it’s probable. Current estimates put his chances at 78 per cent.
8.56am, Wednesday
Trump has 84% chance of victory
Poll analysis website FiveThirtyEight.com is now giving Donald Trump an 84% chance of becoming the 45th president of the US. Clinton's chances have plummeted to 14% in a dramatic reversal.
8.51am, Wednesday
Trump bags more states
Donald Trump has won Iowa, Wisconsin, Utah and Georgia.
Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, has picked up Washington state.
8.29am, Wednesday
Canadian immigration site goes down
Canada's official immigration website crashed on Tuesday night as Donald Trump continued to perform better in the election than was expected.
Analysis: Clinton has a fight ahead of her
Scott Shuey, Business Editor
Donald Trump has now taken two big battle ground states: Florida and North Carolina.
Clinton has taken New Mexico and Colorado, but she really has her work cut out for her now. The new battle ground states are Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. By my count, if she loses two of those, she will not be able to reach 270.
The current electoral vote stands at 190 to 171, with Clinton leading, thanks to a win in California, which has the largest amount of electoral votes.
8.02am, Wednesday
New York Times gives chance more than 95% of winning
The New York Times' forecast now has Trump at a greater than 95% chance of winning the presidency.
FiveThirtyEight.com, meanwhile, is giving both candidates a 49% chance.
7.57am, Wednesday
Trump wins Florida
7.34am, Wednesday
Analysis: Trump takes Ohio
Scott Shuey, Business Editor
AP and CNN are now giving the battle ground state of Ohio to Donald Trump. Ohio has consistently been a state that votes with Republican, but it rarely produced such as strong showing as this. Trump won the state with 53.4 per cent of the vote or about 550,000 more votes than Clinton.
That significantly increases Trump’s chance of taking the election.
FiveThirtyEight.com now gives Trump a 55 per cent chance of winning, as opposed to this morning, when he only had about a 35 per cent chance. Clinton’s changes are now 44 per cent
However, Clinton has reportedly just won Virginia, so we’ll be taking a look at that next.
7.21am, Wednesday
Racial divides
Preliminary exit polls show the racial divides that were expected to define the 2016 presidential election.
Polls conducted for national media by Edison Research show Republican Donald Trump winning a majority of white voters while Democrat Hillary Clinton is drawing support from about three out of four nonwhite voters.
Trump's support is strongest among whites without a college degree. He's winning nearly two-thirds of them. Whites with college degrees are split between Trump and Clinton. Trump is winning both among white men and white women, though his margin is much higher among men.
Pictures: World waits for US poll results
Clinton's strongest support comes from African-Americans. She's winning about nine out of 10 black voters. She's winning about two out of three Hispanics and Asian-Americans.
7.01am, Wednesday
Analysis: Virginia is going to be a barn-burner
Scott Shuey, Business Editor
UPDATE: Things are moving really fast now in Virginia. Clinton is now up by 7,000 votes but still with 18 percent of precincts reporting.
Donald Trump jumped out to an early lead in Virginia, but Clinton is now closing the gap and now trails by 12,000 votes with about 10 per cent of precincts yet to report.
Harry Enten over at FiveThirtyEight.com says that due to the number of outstanding votes, the state is still too close to call.
Correction, in the time it took to write this post, Trump’s margin over Clinton has narrowed down to 7,000 votes.
6.49am, Wednesday
New York Times forecast has Trump in front
The New York Times' live presidential election forecast is giving Donald Trump a 59% chance of winning the election.
6.29am, Wednesday
Trump, Clinton run close in Ohio, Florida and elsewhere
Republican Donald Trump held slight leads in the vital battleground states of Florida, Virginia and Ohio late Tuesday in the US, clinging to a narrow advantage over Democrat Hillary Clinton in key states that could decide their race for the White House.
With voting completed in more than two thirds of the 50 US states, the race was too close to call in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Virginia, states that could be vital to deciding which contender wins the presidency.
6.25am, Wednesday
Analysis: A shift towards Trump
Scott Shuey, Business Editor
The race continues to tighten, although there aren’t a whole lot of surprises here. However, the numbers in the battle ground states are showing a possible swing in Trump’s directions.
Trump has taken Texas and its 38 electoral votes and Arkansas with its 6 votes to lift him to 128.
To add to that, he’s also currently winning Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, Michigan and Wisconsin. Most of these states are still early in the vote counting.
Florida is the main prize and Trump holds a 1.5 per cent lead there with over 90 per cent of precincts reporting and votes from the southern parts of the state are still coming in.
6.17am, Wednesday
Republicans retain control of House: projections
The Republican Party looked set to keep its majority in the US House of Representatives in Tuesday's election, two television networks projected.
NBC and ABC said early results indicated the party would keep at least 218 of the 435 seats in the chamber.
6.02am, Wednesday
Trump wins Mississippi
Donald Trump has won the state of Mississippi. Trump currently has 123 electoral college votes, with Clinton opn 97. The results of several battleground states are still outstanding.
5.57am, Wednesday
Another state for Clinton
Hillary Clinton wins Rhode Island.
Early update on key battleground states with our Business Editor Scott Shuey
5.33am, Wednesday
Numbers continue to roll in, race in Florida tightens
OK, the numbers are starting to look interesting.
In New Hampshire, which was looking as if it might slant towards Trump, Clinton is well ahead 54.7 to 40 percent.
In Michigan, a state that Trump just visited yesterday and where he predicted a win – he won’t get it, not unless the numbers shift dramatically. Clinton leads 50 per cent to Trump’s 44 per cent of the vote so far.
The biggest surprise so far continues to be Virginia, where Clinton is losing with only 42 per cent of the vote to Trump’s 52.4. For most of the last month, polls showed an win for Clinton.
But, Clinton is managing to take the battleground state of North Carolina, where she leads by 51.8 per cent of the vote to Trump’s 45.7.
Another battleground state, Ohio, looks to be going solidly to Trump, who leads there 52 to 44 per cent of the vote.
Finally, in the “it-won’t-surprise-anyone” category, Florida is showing a 48.5/48.5 split between the two candidates with 87 per cent of precinct reporting.
So, the states we know so far are:
Clinton has Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, the District of Columbia and Illinois for a total of 68 electoral votes.
Trump has Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Oklahoma for a total of 57 votes.
5.25am, Wednesday
Former Trump rival Rubio re-elected to Senate
Florida's Marco Rubio has been re-elected to the US Senate, according to television networks.
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio acknowledges the cheers from supporters after winning a second term in office. Rubio defeated U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, a two-term congressman. His wife and children are behind him. AP
Voters post videos from polling stations (from Instagram)
LIVE: Voter turnout seems comparatively lower from previous elections
5.14am, Wednesday
Analysis: First surprise - Clinton losing in Virginia
Scott Shuey, Business Editor
Ok, now where starting to see some real deviation from what the pollsters have been saying. Clinton appears to be losing Virginia, a state that she was expected to win. And she losing by a healthy margin.
However, she’s also up in Florida. Currently, results out of the Sunshine state have Clinton up with 49.4 per cent of the vote to Trump 47.7 per cent.
And Trump has also lost his lead in the Electoral College. Clinton can now claim 68 to Trump’s 37 according to the BBC. If case you haven’t heard this at least 100 times today, the candidate with 270 votes is the winner.
5.09am, Wednesday
Swathe of states go to Clinton
Several states are being called for Clinton by networks, putting her ahead in the overall electoral college count. None of the states so far are a surprise. Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Illinois all Clinton.
4.51am, Wednesday
Analysis: States are voting as predicted so far
Scott Shuey, Business Editor
As predicted, Trump is off to a lead in the Electoral College voting, with 24. The Associated Press has called West Virginia for Trump. That means we’re still waiting for Virginia, which is likely to go for Clinton, while George is likely to go for Trump.
Despite the expectation that Donald Trump would take South Carolina, the Los Angeles Times is saying that Hillary Clinton is slightly ahead in South Carolina and Florida. However, those states are far from being decided.
Florida is still a toss-up. With 3 million votes counted so far, Clinton has 49 per cent of the vote to Trump’s 48.
Polls in Ohio and North Carolina, two other critical battleground states, have also closed. Ohio was expected to go to Republicans, while North Carolina was leaning towards Democrats.
However, bottom line, there are no surprises so far. If that trend continues, Trump could shortly be up to 62 electoral votes to Clintons’ 31.
And at 5am (UAE time) the polls will start to close in an additional 19 states.
4.27am, Wednesday
Three states still too close to call
It was still too early to determine a winner in three of the first six states to close their polls - Republican-leaning South Carolina and Georgia, and the key battleground of Virginia, television networks said.
4.15am, Wednesday
Analaysis: First states go to Trump
Scott Shuey, Business Editor
Polls in a couple of very critical states are now closing. Florida is one state that everyone is watching closes, as much for its large electoral vote as for its tendency for electoral drama. For Trump it’s a must win.
But there are also a few other states which will be interesting to watch. Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia will also be closing.
Virginia is largely expected to go to Clinton, thanks in large part to her running mate Senator Tim Kaine, who is the former governor of that state.
Georgia’s and South Carolina’s electoral votes are likely to go to Trump, although there has been talk about those states still being in play for the Democrats. It’s just talk really. Those states are traditionally heavily Republican, and it would be a surprise if either went to the Democrats.
All of this means that Republican could end up with an early lead in the Electoral College voting. With CNN calling Indiana and Kentucky for Trump, and AP calling Vermont for Clinton, he is looking at 44 likely votes so far. Clinton has (tentatively) 13.
WATCH: US Election Update - First calls, Trump takes an early lead. What's next? Business Editor Scott Shuey reports.
4.00am, Wednesday
Trump wins Indiana, Kentucky; Clinton takes Vermont
Polls have closed in the first six states, with three results known so far.
Republican vice presidential candidate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, center, and his wife, Karen, cast their ballots, in Indianapolis. AP
3.58am, Wednesday
Polling station placed on lockdown after shooting
A polling station in California was placed on lockdown Tuesday following a nearby shooting that left one person dead and three wounded, authorities and news reports said.
The shooting took place in early afternoon in the city of Azusa, 40 kilometers east of Los Angeles, Vanessa Lozano, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department told AFP.
She said three people were transported to a hospital with gunshot wounds and one was dead on arrival.
Details about the incident, which happened in a residential neighborhood, were sketchy.
A polling station in the area was placed on lockdown as was a school, according to local news reports.
3.50am, Wednesday
Deadly shooting near polling station
One person was shot dead and another three wounded in a shooting incident near a polling station in Azusa, California, The Los Angeles Times reported.
More to come.
3.33am, Wednesday
People gather for Trump election night party
Guests are beginning to gather at Donald Trump's election night party in midtown Manhattan.
Pictures: $7,000 'Trump' cake donated for election party
The GOP nominee is holding his event in the grand ballroom of a midtown Hilton hotel, where a stage has been decorated with dozens of American and state flags.
Trump's campaign has also set up museum-style glass displays around the venue holding campaign merchandise, including his iconic "Make America Great Again" hats and pins.
The stage is set for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trumps' election night party at Hilton Midtown hotel in Manhattan. AFP
3.31am, Wednesday
Only third of voters think Trump has the right temperament
More than half of Americans who went to the polls earlier Tuesday say Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has the temperament to serve as president. About a third of voters say the same about Republican nominee Donald Trump.
But neither candidate can claim a mandate as the honest candidate according to the preliminary results of exit polling conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.
About six out of 10 voters say they don't view Clinton as honest. About the same proportion say Trump isn't honest. About three out of 10 voters say they believe neither candidate is honest.
As for what percentage of voters think both nominees are honest, that number is in single digits.
3.26am, Wednesday
Colorado voter registration system goes down
Griffin Malatino, 30, of Denver, Colorado fills in his ballot while voting at the Denver Elections Division offices in Denver, Colorado. AFP
The Colorado Secretary of State's voter registration system went down for nearly 30 minutes during midday voting Tuesday.
The failure forced in-person voters to cast provisional ballots, and some county clerks were unable to process mail ballots that needed to have the signature verified.
Tauna Lockhart, spokeswoman for the state information technology office, says the system came back up about 3:20 p.m. She says the incident is under investigation by state officials, but there is no evidence the network was hit by hackers.
She says the IT office has been monitoring its network for activity and said "there were no blips or anything."
3.13am, Wednesday
Voters confident counting will be fair
Preliminary presidential exit polls results suggest that a clear majority of Americans going to the polls Tuesday have at least a moderate amount of confidence that votes will be counted accurately.
About half of those polled for The Associated Press and television networks told Edison Research they are very confident in the results. Another third said they are somewhat confident.
Fewer than one out of five say they're not very confident or at all confident in the vote count.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has railed against the electoral system. He's called it rigged and suggested without evidence there is widespread voter fraud that could affect the outcome.
3.11am, Wednesday
George W Bush votes 'none of the above'
A spokesman says former President George W Bush did not vote for Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Freddy Ford says the most recent Republican president voted "none of the above for president and Republican down-ballot". That means Bush voted for Republicans in congressional and local races.
It's not a complete surprise. The Bush family includes the two most recent Republican presidents but neither endorsed nor campaigned for the billionaire businessman who captured the party's nomination. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush was a one-time favorite to win the GOP presidential nomination until Trump got into the race and branded him with a name that stuck: "Low energy".
3.07am, Wednesday
Analysis: Polls close in parts of Kentucky and Indiana. No major issues reported
Scott Shuey, Business Editor
OK, it’s official. Polls have closed in two states, and nothing scary has happened, despite numerous report that “something” would.
The most often cited concern was that a cyber-attack would shut down the Internet in the US. A similar attack last week was heralded by some as a precursor to a much bigger attack planned to disrupt the elections. While there have been a few reports of glitchy voting machines in a few states, nothing has threatens to stop voters as a whole. Even for those who were affected, the solution was simple to switch to paper ballots.
Complaints about voter suppression have been thin on the ground also, although there have been some complaints about long queues for voting booths, sometimes as much as two hours. A few more have complained about excessive travel times.
That may be a by-product of the reduced number of voting stations opened this election. Media agencies have reported that there are 868 fewer polling places in the US, largely as a result of the US Supreme Court gutting the Voting Rights Act last year.
But whether voters are being dissuaded from showing up at the polls is hard to gauge at this state. Most states are reporting long lines, but that seems to be a results of a large voter turn-out – although that is purely antidotal at this stage.
3.04am, Wednesday
Clinton supporters ready for celebration
At least 2,000 people are already waiting inside the New York City convention center where Hillary Clinton is scheduled to hold her election night party.
Most people are sitting on the floor in an area the size of an airplane hangar. A handful of women are wearing pantsuits to honor Clinton.
Barnard College senior Madeline Walsh is wearing a black pantsuit. She says the garment means its wearer is more than just a woman.
2.56am, Wednesday
Women arrested for topless protest
Police say they arrested two women after they took off their tops in protest at the Manhattan polling place used by Donald Trump.
The disruption occurred Tuesday morning at a grade school gym about two hours before Trump arrived.
The women began shouting and took off their tops to reveal anti-Trump slogans painted across their bare chests before police escorted then away.
They were released after being given summonses for electioneering, a violation of rules outlawing political activity at polls.
1.58am, Wednesday
Comment: Florida crucial for Trump camp
Scott Shuey, Business Editor
In just about 1 hour (3 am UAE time), polls in parts of Indiana and Kentucky will close. These will be the first polls to close Nation-wide and according to pollsters will likely go to Donald Trump. Oddly, these states will close two to three hours BEFORE states like New York and Pennsylvania, even though they are located about two hundred miles to the west. Trump’s odds of winning in these areas are estimated to be around 95 per cent.
An hour after that, the polls will close in Vermont, Virginia, South Carolina, George, Florida and the rest of Kentucky and Indiana. In other words, that’s when the real counting begins. Florida is a key battleground state and critical for Trump’s campaign. Vermont, although much smaller than Florida, will also be closely watched, especially by Democrats.
1.50am, Wednesday
Mexicans ready to celebrate possible Trump loss
Some Mexicans are already preparing to celebrate a possible loss by Donald Trump in the US presidential election.
A Facebook invite is asking people to gather at Mexico City's iconic Angel of Independence statue Tuesday night for a celebration if the Republican candidate loses. At least 5,000 people have already RSVPed that they would come.
Trump is unpopular in Mexico for suggesting that many Mexican immigrants are criminals or rapists, and for promising to build a border wall between the countries.
Cubans for Hillary
Few countries have more riding on the US election than Cuba. Republican candidate Donald Trump has promised to reverse Barack Obama's normalization of relations with the communist-run island. Clinton has pledged to continue the process. Normalization with the US is almost universally popular in Cuba, where people said they were rooting for Clinton and a future of better relations.
"We have to respect whatever decision Trump would take but we don't want him to be president," Havana resident Lina Osorio said. "We need relations between the two countries."
Fellow Havana resident Rangel Galindo said simply: "I want it to be her, not him."
1.38am, Wednesday
‘Sneak peek’ and other troubles for Trump
Donald Trump's day did not start as well as he might have planned.
As he went to cast his ballot, The Donald's fellow New Yorkers were characteristically warmhearted, greeting him with shouts of "New York hates you!"
When Trump was caught on camera seemingly taking a peek over the voting machine's blinder at his wife Melania's ballot, it would invite more mocking and launch the umpteenth social media election meme of 2016.
"Donald Trump doesn't even trust Melania to vote for him" joked @cafedotcom.
When a similar image emerged of Eric Trump stealing a glance toward his own wife Lara Yunaska @JuddLegum tweeted "Like father, like son."
1.33am, Wednesday
Comment: Something else to remember about Nevada
Scott Shuey, Business Editor
Donald Trump isn’t the only person watching Nevada very carefully, so are the Koch Brothers, Charles and David. The Koch brother, both known adversaries of anything resembling a Democrat, has spent an estimated $6 billion to make sure Democrat Harry Reid’s vacated seat goes red, but all that money got them was a neck-in-neck race. Democrat Catherine Cortez-Masto went into Election Day with a predicted 60 percent chance of winning, but after early voting, Cortez-Masto leads Republican Joe Heck by a 45-44 per cent margin.
1.20am, Wednesday
Software glitch leads to voting delays
A software glitch that indicated scores of voters showing up at the polls had already cast ballots has led to voting delays in one of North Carolina's most heavily Democratic counties.
North Carolina Board of Elections lawyer Josh Lawson says officials in Durham County quickly concluded that there was a problem with their electronic poll books and began relying on paper rolls to confirm voter registrations. Attempts to vote twice are rare.
Lawson says there's no indication "nefarious activity" caused the computer problems. Rather, he said it could have been a failure to clear out caches of votes cast during the primaries.
About two dozen other counties using the same software have not reported problems.
Lawson said those in line when the polls close will still be allowed to vote.
1.15am, Wednesday
Obama on radio urges Americans to vote
President Barack Obama is hitting the radio airwaves to encourage Americans to go to the polls to vote for Hillary Clinton.
The White House said Obama gave Election Day interviews to six radio stations that target listeners in Orlando, Detroit and Philadelphia. The cities are in states where the race is believed to be close between Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.
Obama told syndicated host Jana Sutter that continuing the work of the past eight years depends on having a "steady, smart, serious" president follow him into office.
He praised Clinton and reiterated his view that Trump is unfit to be president.
1.04am, Wednesday
Analysis: US Newspapers still having their say
Scott Shuey, Business Editor
According to Carl Bialik over at FiveThirtyEight.com, of the 100 biggest papers in the US, 57 endorsed Clinton. The Donald received to two endorsements. Even Gary Johnson, the oft ridiculed Libertarian candidate, received four.
Newspapers in general seems to be doing everything they can to drive traffic to their sites on Election Day. Earlier Tuesday, both the Times and the Washington Post have dropped their digital paywalls, making all of their digital election coverage available for free.
12.48am, Wednesday
Analysis: Trump challenge could be racially linked
Scott Shuey, Business Editor
Donald Trump’s legal challenge in Nevada may be an attempt to counter the Hispanic vote. Hispanics are turning out in record numbers this election.
Trump’s campaign is complaining that Nevada keep the polls open for early voters beyond the posted timing.
However, in the US, if you’re in line when the polls are supposed to close, the polling station is still supposed to allow you to vote. According to reports, the polls in Nevada stayed open until 10 p.m., three hours past their schedule closing time.
Democrats are saying the polling stations followed the rules, but according to CNN, Nevada's Republican Party chairman Michael McDonald said that polling locations were kept open late so that a "certain group" could vote.
The “certain group” is code for Hispanics. The polls in question are in Clark County, which included the suburbs of Las Vegas, the state’s largest city and home to over two-thirds of the state’s registered voters.
The county saw turnout of 57,174 early voters, according to the Nevada secretary of state’s office. Thirty percent of those voters are Hispanic. When early voting in Clark County closed, Democrats were up 72,000 votes, prompting some analysts to say that Trump no longer had any chance of winning the state.
Lady Gaga's message on election day
Watch: Lady Gaga has a message for her fans on #ElectionDay.
12.25am Wednesday
Nevada judge rejects Trump request for order over early voting
A Nevada judge rejected a request by Donald Trump's presidential campaign for an immediate order to be issued in its lawsuit over concerns about voting at a polling place in Las Vegas that remained open late last week.
Judge Gloria Sturman at the Clark County Court said that the order would potentially make public the identities of poll workers, which could put them at risk of harassment. Most voters are casting their ballots across the United States on Tuesday in the general election but Nevada and several other states allow early voting.
Watch: Americans from all over the US share pictures of themselves on Instagram after casting their vote. #ElectionDay
Poll: Which candidate do you trust the most?
Trust has been a central issue during the long-winded campaign. Trump seems to have lied his way through three debates, whereas Clinton apparently puts whatever she wants in emails.
And she tells bankers one thing and the public another, if the WikiLeaks details of her various private speeches are to be believed.
But who would you ask to feed the cat when on vacation?
11.56pm Tuesday
Live US election night coverage with Gulf News Business Editor Scott Shuey
Watch: US Election night coverage with Gulf News Business Editor Scott Shuey
11.35pm, Tuesday
Trump on accepting election results: 'see how things play out'
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would have to "see how things play out" before accepting the results of Election Day, pointing to possible irregularities as he once again warned of a rigged system.
"We're going to see how things play out today. Hopefully they'll play out well and hopefully we won't have to worry about it, meaning hopefully we'll win," Trump said in a telephone interview on Fox News. "I want to see everything honest."
Watch: Twitter user @erveza shares a video of a mariachi band playing in Nevada to usher voters.
10.20pm, Tuesday
Trump camp alleges intentional bid to skew vote
People cast their ballots during voting in the 2016 presidential election in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S November 8, 2016.
Republican Donald Trump sued the registrar of voters in Clark County, Nevada over a polling place in Las Vegas that had been allowed to remain open late last week to accommodate people who were lined up to vote.
The lawsuit, filed in a Nevada state court on Monday, alleges the registrar violated state law and asked that the ballots from that polling place be kept separate from other votes, pending any future legal challenges to the results in the state.
Watch: Instagram user @urbancontour shares her experience of voting at the US elections.
10.05pm, Tuesday
US stocks surge as voters head to polls
US stock markets reversed an early fall Tuesday and surged sharply higher as voters headed to polls to choose between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump for their next president.
Adding to Monday's 2 percent gains, which came as Democrat Clinton's chances for a victory appeared to improve, the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 0.7 per cent in early afternoon trade.
What caused the sharp mid-morning reversal was unclear; the markets swung almost one percentage point in a short period and the closely-watched Vix volatility index, a signal of market nervousness, fell sharply at the same time.
Watch: Instagram user @joshschubert25 shared this video of him casting his vote.
9.00pm, Tuesday
Tiny town casts first US votes - Clinton wins
DIXVILLE NOTCH, United States: A tiny New Hampshire town cast the first votes in the US presidential election at the stroke of midnight Tuesday, and the results are in: it chose Hillary Clinton.
Dixville Notch, a hamlet about 32 kilometers south of the Canadian border, has maintained the tradition of first-in-the-nation voting since 1960.
But the outcome in this mountainous Republican stronghold near Quebec is seen as more of a curiosity than a national bellwether.
A crowd of media and others dwarfed the exactly seven residents - five men and two women - of Dixville Notch who lined up to vote as Democrat Clinton and Republican rival Donald Trump battled in a tight race.
Just seconds after midnight, the ballots had been placed in a wooden box in the middle of the "ballot room" at the hotel of The Balsams ski resort.
Dixville Notch's eight votes, including one absentee ballot, were swiftly counted and the tally announced: Clinton won four votes, in a relative landslide to the Republican billionaires's two.
Watch: Instagram user @marlanfp shares this video after casting her vote at #Elections2016
8.30pm, Tuesday
Trump casts vote in historic US election
NEW YORK: Donald Trump cast his ballot Tuesday near his New York home, in a historic election pitting him against Democrat Hillary Clinton, who is seeking to become America's first woman president.
After casting his vote with wife Melania at a school, the Republican presidential nominee quipped to reporters that it was a "tough decision" to make his voting choice.
"We'll see what happens, we'll see what happens. It's looking very good. Right now it's looking very good. It will be interesting. Thank you," Trump said.
7.45pm, Tuesday
Mexican peso falls as US votes
MEXICO CITY: Mexico's peso fell on Tuesday as the country braced for the outcome of the US presidential election amid fears that a Donald Trump victory could harm Latin America's second-biggest economy.
As Americans went to the polls, the peso opened at 18.95 per dollar, down 0.53 percent from Monday's closing price of 18.85, according to private bank Banamex.
The Mexican stock market, however, rose 0.2 percent in early trading.
The national currency has had a roller-coaster ride during the US presidential campaign, falling when Trump was up in opinion polls and rising when Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton fared better.
7.15pm, Tuesday
Clinton casts her ballot: 'It is the most humbling feeling'
CHAPPAQUA, New York: Seeking to become the nation's first female president, Hillary Clinton cast her ballot and settled down to wait for the country to make its choice.
The Democratic nominee and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, voted at an elementary school near their home in suburban New York before greeting supporters waiting for her outside.
"It is the most humbling feeling," she said of voting for herself for president. "I know how much responsibility goes with this."
It was a relatively calm moment Tuesday compared with Clinton's hectic final few days day on the campaign trail. The former secretary of state and New York senator dashed through battleground states, encouraged get-out-the-vote efforts and campaigned with a star-studded cast of celebrity supporters.
7.10pm, Tuesday
US elections: Key things to know tonight
Here are the key things you should know as Americans are getting set for a long Election Night of waiting to see who the 45th US president will be. Find out what it takes to win, which states are the ones to watch, and how long it all might take for the winner to emerge: Read the full story here
6.50pm, Tuesday
US stocks dip as election day voting kicks off
Wall Street stocks dipped in opening trading Tuesday as Americans began to cast their ballots to settle a contentious US presidential race that polls suggest will be close.
The early losses followed a more than 2 per cent surge in US stocks Monday as the S&P 500 broke a nine-day losing streak on increased confidence in Democrat Hillary Clinton's chances of victory.
Clinton is a known quantity politically in comparison with Republican rival Donald Trump, who is widely seen as unpredictable, and markets fear a Trump victory could cast numerous policies in doubt. The statistics website FiveThirtyEight has given Clinton about a 71 percent chance of winning.
"We know what Wall Street wants," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare. "We also know, based on the scope of Monday's rally, that the fallout could be extreme if Wall Street doesn't get what it wants."
Americans in US share their views on the election
6.42pm, Tuesday
Watch: We spoke to Texas resident Joseph d'Aquin about his thoughts on the US elections.
6.30pm, Tuesday
Watch: Texas resident Michael Boudreau decided not to vote for Trump or Hillary.
Clinton, Trump campaign late into night
Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton and Republican maverick Donald Trump campaigned into the wee hours of polling day as they fought to sell their starkly different visions for the future of the world’s greatest power.
The 69-year old former first lady, senator and secretary of state — backed by A-list musical stars and incumbent President Barack Obama — urged the country to unite and vote for “a hopeful, inclusive, big-hearted America.”
Trump meanwhile doubled down on his outreach to voters who feel left behind by globalisation and social change, finishing with a flourish on his protectionist slogan: “America first.”
TODAY WE MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 8, 2016
Let’s go make some history today. https://t.co/jfd3CXLD1s pic.twitter.com/IbRcWWun7J
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 8, 2016
“Just imagine what our country could accomplish if we started working together as one people, under one God, saluting one American flag,” the 70-year-old billionaire reality television star told cheering supporters.
Some 40 million Americans have already cast ballots in states that allow early voting, and opinion polls suggest Clinton had a slight edge, as the tiny hamlet of Dixville Notch in New Hampshire opened Election Day balloting.
A polling average by tracker site RealClearPolitics gave Clinton a 3.3 percentage point national lead, but Trump is closer or even has the advantage in several of the swing states that he must conquer to pull off an upset.
‘Corrupt elite’
No results or exit polls will be available before polling stations begin to close on the US East Coast from 7pm (0000 GMT Wednesday), and it may be three or more hours after that before the direction of the race becomes clear.
And even then, questions remain. Trump has repeatedly warned that a “corrupt Washington and media elite” is seeking to rig the race and he said last month that he may not concede defeat if he thinks voting is unfair.
He has also threatened to lodge lawsuits against up to a dozen women who have come forward during the race to accuse him of sexual assault or inappropriate behaviour.
Clinton has pushed a more optimistic vision, despite a wobble in the final weeks of her campaign when the FBI reopened an investigation into whether she had put US secrets at risk by using a private email server — only to close it again on Sunday.
In a radio interview on the last night of the race, she said the matter was behind her, and she courted voters at her final rallies in Philadelphia with Obama and rocker Bruce Springsteen, and in North Carolina with pop diva Lady Gaga.
“Tomorrow, we face the test of our time,” she declared in front of 40,000 people in Philadelphia, a record for her in a campaign where despite her opinion poll lead she has struggled to match her Republican opponent’s passionate and raucous crowds.
“There is a clear choice in this election. A choice between division or unity, an economy that works for everyone, or only for those at the top; between strong, steady leadership, or a loose cannon who could put everything at risk.”
At the same time, Trump, who hijacked his conservative party and turned it into a vehicle for populist bombast, concluded a last-gasp tour of swing states by painting his rival as doomed to defeat and the corrupt creature of a discredited elite.
‘I will fight for you’
“Do you want America to be ruled by the corrupt political class, or do you want America to be ruled, again, by the people?” he demanded at a rally in New Hampshire, a state won in 2012 by Obama that Trump hopes to flip into his column.
Promising to end “years of betrayal,” tear up free trade deals, seal the border, halt the drug trade and exclude all Syrian refugees, Trump told his supporters: “I am with you and I will fight for you and we will win.”
Trump’s campaign spooked world markets seeking stability after the recent global slowdown.
Last week, US stocks as measured by the S&P 500 index fell for nine straight days for the first time since 1980, only to recover a little when the FBI confirmed Clinton would not face prosecution over her emails.
Asian markets were up slightly on Tuesday as the world remained on tenterhooks for the result.
