Voting begins in historic US poll

 

Both senators have returned to their home states Americans are voting for their next president at the end of the longest, most expensive campaign in US history. Republican John McCain is attempting to defy the opinion polls while Democrat Barack Obama is seeking to become the country's first black president. The two rivals have returned to their home states of Arizona and Illinois to cast their votes and await the outcome. In the first voting of the day, Mr Obama won by 15 votes to six in the town of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. The town, which has a 60-year tradition of being first in the nation to vote, opened its polls at midnight, with turnout of 100%. It was the first time the town had voted for a Democrat since 1968. Voters queued at New York polling stations early in the day Long queues were forming outside polling stations in New York and elsewhere on the east coast as polls there opened at 0600 EST (1100 GMT). Some 130 million Americans are expected to vote, in a higher turnout than in any election since 1960, the BBC's North America editor Justin Webb says. A record 27 million people had already cast absentee or early ballots as of Saturday night. McCain 'momentum' Mr McCain continued his campaigning into election day with an early morning stump speech in Prescott, Arizona. He promised supporters that he and his running-mate Sarah Palin would "change things in Washington". He said his momentum was growing and forecast an upset that would take him to the White House. "We are closing in the polls. All we got to do is get out the vote," he said at the end of a hectic day criss-crossing the country visiting seven crucial states. ELECTION DAY on THE BBC Join us to follow the news as America votes, including: Live text updates through the day and night, with input from BBC correspondents around the US Results as they come in, on a live updating map, from midnight GMT Streaming video of the BBC election night programme in Washington Analysis from BBC North America editor Justin Webb in Washington, and Gavin Hewitt and Matthew Price at the candidates' HQs Send us your views Q&A: how US results are reported "I will never be able to repay you, except to say to you that I will never, ever let you down and I haven't and I won't... Let's go out and win this election and get our country going again." At his final rally in the suburbs of Washington, DC, Mr Obama appeared before a crowd of 100,000 people. The man running to be the first African-American president of the US spoke of national unity just a few miles from the scene of the opening battle of the American Civil War. At his speech in the Washington suburb of Manassas, Virginia, he told supporters that he had found the long journey to election day both humbling and enriching. "You've filled me with new hope for our future and you've reminded me about what makes America so special." Condolences Earlier in the day, Mr Obama said his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham - who largely raised him as a child - had died aged 86 in Hawaii after losing her battle with cancer. In a joint statement with his half-sister, he described her as "the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility," adding that their debt to her was "beyond measure". The moment when Barack Obama won the vote in Dixville Notch At an event in North Carolina, Mr Obama appeared emotional as he spoke of his grandmother, saying she had died peacefully in her sleep with his sister by her side. Senator McCain and his wife Cindy issued a statement offering their deepest condolences to Mr Obama and his family. The final Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll of the election published on Tuesday found likely voters favoured Mr Obama by 11 points over Mr McCain, 54-43%. Other national polls indicate Mr Obama increasing his lead over his rival to as much as 13 points. But the BBC's James Coomarasamy, in Washington, says that while Mr Obama has held a consistent lead for several weeks, a number of factors could undermine the pollsters' predictions. If victory goes to Obama, there will be a lot of tears and a lot of memories, some painful Campaign Trail: Gavin Hewitt Read Gavin's thoughts in full In pictures: US election countdown Guide to US election night Among them, he says, are the role the Illinois senator's skin colour may play in voters' intentions; whether newly-registered voters will actually vote; and the Palin effect - whether Mr McCain's running mate has energised or alienated Republicans. On Monday, an investigator for the Alaska Personnel Board cleared her of violating state ethics laws as governor of Alaska. A separate report released last month found that she did abuse her office by allowing her husband and staff to pressure Alaska's top law enforcement official to fire her former brother-in-law. Mrs Palin sacked Walt Monegan, the state public safety commissioner, but denied it was because of his refusal to dismiss her sister's ex-husband, a state trooper. Battleground states On Monday, both candidates dashed through states where the vote is expected to be close. Opinion polls indicate that Mr Obama leads the vote in all the states that Senator John Kerry captured in his unsuccessful run against President Bush in 2004. John McCain tells supporters "we will win" That would give him 251 of the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. He is leading or tied with Mr McCain in several other states, meaning he has several paths to victory. For this reason the results in Florida, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Ohio are expected to be crucial to the outcome. Under the Electoral College system, states are apportioned votes based on their population, the biggest being California with 55 votes.

 

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