Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (L) speaks during his final campaign rally at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan in the early hours of November 5, 2024, and US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris (R) speaks during a campaign rally on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 4, 2024. Jeff Kowalsky and Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, AFP  

The first polls closed Tuesday in the volatile White House race between Kamala Harris and  Donald Trump as a divided nation anxiously awaited the result of one of the tightest elections  in US history. 

The outcome-- which could be known overnight but may take days -- will have momentous  consequences, either making Harris the first woman in the world's most powerful job or  handing a historic comeback to Trump and his right-wing "America First" agenda. 

Millions of Americans formed long lines across the country to cast their vote, and polls closed  at 7:00 pm (8 a.m. Wednesday in Manila) in the first six states, including crucial Georgia -- one of the  battleground states expected to tip the balance in the neck-and-neck race. 

There were no initial surprises, with Trump winning Republican stronghold Indiana and  Harris taking Vermont. 

Several hoax bomb threats were reported at polling stations, causing disruptions to voting,  including in Georgia. The FBI and local authorities saying they appeared to originate in Russia. 

'Panic buttons,' SWAT teams: US braces for election unrest

In a possible preview of election challenges, Trump took to social media to say there is  "talk  about massive cheating" in Philadelphia, the Democratic stronghold of crucial state  Pennsylvania. 

City Commissioner Seth Bluestein, a Republican, responded on X that there was "absolutely  no truth" to the charge. 

Trump also said that "we're going to have a big victory tonight." 

Trump has still refused to accept his 2020 loss to Joe Biden, afer which his supporters  attacked the US Capitol, and there are fears of fresh violence if he loses.

A number of buildings in Washington were boarded up on Tuesday while barriers were  erected around the White House. 

'FULL OF VENGEANCE'

Polls for weeks have shown a razor-thin race between Democratic Vice President Harris and  Republican Trump, 78, who would be the oldest president at the time of inauguration, the  first felon president, and only the second in history to serve non-consecutive terms. 

All eyes will be on the other swing states, with polls due to close in North Carolina at 7:30 pm,  in Pennsylvania -- the biggest prize -- at 8:00 pm, in Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin at 9:00  pm and in Nevada at 10:00 pm. 

The Harris campaign reported strong turnout in the Democratic stronghold of Philadelphia,  including among Puerto Ricans, who were disparaged by a comedian at a Trump rally a week  earlier. 

An early exit poll by NBC News showed that the most important issue for voters was the fate  of US democracy -- a signature issue for Harris -- even more than the economy. 

Harris, 60, would also be only the second Black and first person of South Asian descent to be  president. 

She made a late, dramatic entrance into the race when Biden dropped out in July, while  Trump -- twice impeached while president -- has since ridden out two assassination attempts  and a criminal conviction. 

Afer crisscrossing the country over the weekend, Harris returned to Washington where she  spent the day calling into radio stations in swing states and taking a few calls personally at a  phone bank for voters. 

"We've got to get it done. Today is voting day, and people need to get out and be active,"  Harris told Atlanta station WVEE-FM. 

She described her opponent as "full of vengeance. He's full of grievance. It's all about  himself." 

Trump voted in Florida near his Mar-a-Lago residence, saying he felt "very confident" and that  he wanted to be "very inclusive." 

US stance on West PH Sea won’t change even with new president — analyst

LONG VOTER LINES 

"I want to make sure I drop my ballot where it's going to actually land somewhere," she told  AFP. "Now, will it get counted?" she asked. "I don't know." 

In Pennsylvania, Harris voter Marchelle Beason, 46, said the lines were "way, way, way more"  than in the last election.

At the same school, 56-year-old Darlene Taylor, wearing a homemade Trump shirt, said her  main issue is to "close the border." 

Trump has vowed an unprecedented deportation campaign of millions of undocumented  immigrants, in a campaign full of dark rhetoric. 

Harris has hammered home her opposition to Trump-backed abortion bans in multiple states  -- a vote-winning position with crucial women voters. 

The election is meanwhile being watched closely around the world including in the war zones  of Ukraine and the Middle East, anxious to see how the next Oval Ofice occupant deals with  the conflicts. 

US election: When will we know who won?

© Agence France-Presse