Washington: American voters head to polling stations to elect their new president as competition heightens between current Vice President, Democrat Kamala Harris, and former Republican President, Donald Trump. The race to the Oval Office is almost always exclusive to Democrats and Republicans, while other less known parties remain behind. Coinciding with the presidential elections, Americans are also voting for House representatives for a two-year term and some Senate members for a six-year term. Republicans currently dominate the Congress' lower chamber, while Democrats lead the higher chamber. According to Kuwait News Agency, opinion polls from the RealClearPolitics website show that the two candidates are neck and neck, with each holding 48.5 percent of voter support. A poll by National Public Radio, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and Marist Polls, published on the eve of the election, showed Harris edging out Trump by four points at a national level. The polls indicated that Harris gained the suppo rt of 51 percent of likely voters, while Trump garnered 47 percent, placing Harris just outside the typical error margin, which is usually estimated at 3.5 points. Both candidates have intensified their efforts to sway undecided voters in the final days of the race. ADimpacts, an institution tracking political ads, reported that spending on campaigns has exceeded USD two billion since Joe Biden stepped down from the race and Harris joined in. The report added that Democrats have spent USD 460 million more on ads than Republicans have. Estimates show that the number of registered electors for these elections reached 244 million, with Florida University counting more than 82 million early votes cast as early polling stations opened weeks before the official election day. NBC News stated that the 2020 elections saw over 158 million early voters, compared to more than 136 million in the 2016 elections. Trump and Harris are vying for 270 seats out of the 538 in the Electoral College, as the candidate with 270 se ats is considered the election winner. The 50 states are mostly decided between red and blue, but seven swing states remain battlegrounds. Pennsylvania and Michigan are at the forefront of these swing states, where most Arab voters reside. Issues concerning voters include the economy, inflation, migration, health care, and the occupation's war on Gaza, as Arab and Muslim voters try to lobby for ending the ongoing genocide. The number of Muslims in the US is estimated at 3.5 million according to non-government data, as the US government does not keep track of the population by religion. Harris concluded her campaign at Pennsylvania State, while Trump held a rally in Michigan just a few hours before the election started.
