The U.S. is electing a new president! Here are the results from the first ballot and the current situation in 7 swing states.

In the United States, citizens are heading to the polls for the presidential and congressional elections, where the Republican candidate Donald Trump is competing against the Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. Voting has begun in the eastern states of the U.S. for the presidential and congressional elections.

With President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the race, Kamala Harris, who was selected as the Democratic candidate, and the Republican candidate Trump are competing for the presidency. For the vice presidency, Ohio Senator James David Vance from the Republicans is facing off against Minnesota Governor Tim Walz from the Democrats. The American public is voting not only for the new president of the U.S. but also for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 34 seats in the 100-member Senate.

POLLING STATIONS WILL CLOSE AT 05:00 TSİ ON WEDNESDAY

In a country with three different time zones, the start and end times for voting vary by state. Voting began at 06:00 (TSİ 14:00) in New York and Virginia, and at 07:00 (TSİ 15:00) in the critical states of Florida and Pennsylvania, as well as in the capital Washington DC. Polling stations will close at 19:00 (TSİ Wednesday 03:00) in Virginia and Florida, at 20:00 (TSİ Wednesday 04:00) in Washington DC and Pennsylvania, and at 21:00 (TSİ Wednesday 05:00) in New York.

The candidate who wins the presidential election will take the oath of office on January 20, 2025, becoming the 47th president of the United States for a term of four years.

EQUALITY EMERGED FROM THE FIRST POLLING STATION

In the village of Dixville Notch, near the Canadian border in New Hampshire, the voting process began at midnight. Six voters in Dixville Notch went to the polls at local time 00:00. According to the count after the election, 3 of the 6 votes went to Harris, and 3 went to Trump.

THE ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE PASSES THROUGH "270 DELEGATES"

In the U.S. presidential elections, voters primarily vote for the delegates of the party they support. In this system, called the "Electoral College," a total of 538 delegates are distributed to each state with different weights. The candidate who reaches a majority of this number, which is more than half, namely 270 delegates, is entitled to become President.

It is known as one of the remarkable features of the American political system that the person who becomes president is not the one who receives the most votes overall, but the one who reaches more delegates, taking into account the balance between states.

7 "SWING STATES" THAT WILL DETERMINE THE RESULT

Election experts commenting to the U.S. media state that the 7 states referred to as "swing states" hold the key to the White House due to their unpredictability. These states include Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

The decisive nature of swing states comes from the fact that the majority of voters in these states are either undecided or divided between the two parties in closely matched proportions. Throughout the election process, both Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump have conducted intense campaign efforts in these states to turn the results in their favor.

CURRENT SITUATION IN SWING STATES

Arizona

For the first time in a long time, Democrats won all the delegates in Arizona in 2020 by a small margin. In Arizona, which borders Mexico, it has been observed that Trump's rhetoric targeting the current White House administration and his Democratic opponent over immigration has gained popularity. However, in recent months, there has been a record drop in border crossings. Trump had also stated that if he wins, he would carry out "the largest deportation operation in American history." According to the latest polls, Trump is two points ahead of Harris in Arizona.

Michigan

In Michigan, which has the largest Arab-American population in the U.S., the candidates' Middle East policies are seen as significant factors influencing voters' behavior. Democratic candidate Harris has come forward with harsher rhetoric against Israel than the current U.S. President Joe Biden. However, it appears that a significant portion of Arab-American voters is supporting Donald Trump in response to the current White House's Middle East policy. While Trump occasionally calls for peace, he has not clearly articulated what he would do differently in the Middle East compared to the Biden administration. In the latest polls, Harris is one point ahead of Trump in Michigan.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania, which has the most delegates among swing states, has seen both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump conduct intense campaign programs. In Pennsylvania, Biden was supported in the 2020 elections. In July, Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. Technology billionaire Elon Musk, who supports Trump, caused controversy by distributing money to voters through a lottery here. The most decisive issue for voters in Pennsylvania is believed to be the economy. Although inflation has generally increased in the country during Biden's administration, grocery prices have risen faster in Pennsylvania compared to other states. High inflation poses a problem for Harris's campaign, as it does across the U.S. According to the latest polls, Harris is 0.2 points ahead of Trump in Pennsylvania.

Nevada

There are significant signs that Nevada, which has voted for Democrats in recent elections, is increasing its support for Republicans in these elections. Before Biden left the Democratic candidacy to Harris, Trump was leading by a wide margin in the polls. However, in Nevada, which has a large Latin population, Trump's advantage seems to have diminished after Harris's candidacy. According to the latest data, Nevada has the third-highest unemployment rate in the country at 5.1%.

Therefore, the candidates' promises regarding the economy are expected to be decisive. According to the latest polls, Trump is one point ahead of Harris in Nevada.

Wisconsin

Polls in Wisconsin indicated that independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s strong support could negatively affect the vote counts for either Harris or Trump. Kennedy suspended his campaign at the end of August and announced his support for Trump. Trump had previously stated about Wisconsin, "If we win Wisconsin, we win everything." In Wisconsin, which supported Biden by a margin of 0.63 in 2020, the latest polls show Harris one point ahead.

Georgia

In Georgia, allegations arose during the 2020 elections that Trump attempted to interfere at the Fulton vote counting center. These allegations led to four separate criminal cases being filed against Trump. Trump and 18 state officials are accused of conspiring to overturn Trump's narrow defeat to Biden. Trump, who denies the allegations, will not appear in court before the election. One-third of Georgia's population is made up of African Americans. This demographic is believed to be among the factors that helped Biden win Georgia in 2020. However, recent public opinion polls show that the Biden administration has fallen short of the expectations of Black voters, which experts say could negatively impact Harris's campaign as well. According to the latest polls, Trump is one point ahead of Harris in Georgia.

North Carolina

Trump won North Carolina in 2020. According to the latest polls, Trump is one and a half points ahead of Harris in North Carolina. Experts say that for Democrats to win North Carolina, high turnout among the state's Black voters is necessary. Another important group that Democrats need to see in high numbers is voters under 43, who make up nearly half of all voters. It is noted that for Republicans to win, high turnout in the elections is dependent on the areas of the state that were largely devastated by Hurricane Helene.