It's certainly been a long and arduous journey, but Election Day 2024 is finally here!

This year's presidential contest began as a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, with the two close in the polls – and in terms of their historic unpopularity. There was no shortage of drama and turmoil over the summer, as a disastrous performance by Biden in the debate sent calls for him to drop out of the race into high gear. Shortly thereafter, Republicans held their convention and rallied around Trump in the face of an assassination attempt. By the time the Democratic convention began, Biden had withdrawn and the race had reset with Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic standard-bearer.

One place where the race remained remarkably stable, however, was in the polls, which fluctuated by only a few percentage points over several months and two different campaigns. Today, the race between Trump and Harris is virtually neck-and-neck, and the polls are so close that the race could well be decided by a single state or even a tie in the Electoral College. Of course, we are only one normal polling error away from both candidates being eliminated. And after two consecutive presidential elections in which polls underestimated Trump's support, the question for every election watcher is whether that will be the case again this year.

The outcome in the US House of Representatives is similarly uncertain, where Republicans are hoping to defend their narrow majority after a few turbulent years. (Raise your hand if you were Googling “Who is Mike Johnson?” this time last year.) On the other hand, Republicans are a clear favorite in the Senate, with the ticket tilted against vulnerable Democrats.

Hundreds of other elections will also be decided today – including 11 governorships up for grabs, and a wide range of ballot measures could change the landscape for abortion rights, the way Americans vote, and more.

As always, we're here to help you all day (and night and week) to give you the lowdown on what to look for and how to interpret the incoming results. Thank you for joining us!