Election 2024 updates: Trump begins selecting cabinet positions

This campaign season, both Harris and Trump have been criss-crossing the country, holding raucous rallies, moonlighting at local businesses and even stopping by a football game. Despite early concerns from some Democrats that Harris wasn't holding enough campaign events, both candidates have been campaigning hard in the final stretch, averaging more than one event per day. According to tracking by VoteHub, Trump has held 49 campaign events since Oct. 1, while Harris has held 45.

In the seven main swing states, though, Harris and Trump have actually held the same number of events (42). Harris has been focusing especially hard on Michigan, while Trump has held the most events in North Carolina. Neither candidate has spent too much time in Nevada or Arizona (perhaps they're just too far out of the way to be worth it).

Trump has also held seven events in non-swing states, such as his rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City. While that may seem like poor strategy at first glance, it actually probably doesn't matter that much: Political science research shows that campaign events don't actually boost a candidate's vote share in the places they visit. The reality is, the vast majority of people who attend these events are already supporting the candidate, and any boost the candidate gets from media coverage of the event is fleeting.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump both spent the waning hours of their campaigns in the well-trodden swing states of Pennsylvania and Michigan, widely seen as critical to winning the White House.

America reaches Election Day and a stark choice between Trump and Harris

Harris wrapped her day in Philadelphia, where Lady Gaga sang "God Bless America" and Oprah Winfrey appeared on stage with first-time voters. Ricky Martin, who is from Puerto Rico, was also there to draw out Puerto Rican voters turned off by a comedian who called their homeland a "floating island of garbage" at a recent Trump rally.

"Our people-powered movement reflects a simple and undeniable truth: that we are all in this together," Harris said.

Harris didn't arrive at the vice president's residence, the Naval Observatory, until 1:41 a.m.

Trump, meanwhile, spent the final hours of the day in Grand Rapids, Michigan, wrapping up around 2 a.m.

He took shots at Harris for campaigning alongside celebrities.

"We don't need a star because we have policy. We have great policy," he said. Later, he boasted of his own stars: "So many celebrities here, it's incredible: Mike Pompeo, please stand up," introducing his former secretary of state.

Trump landed in Florida around 6 a.m.

As millions of Americans prepare to descend on polling locations across the country, election officials and law enforcement authorities are focused on administering a fair and safe election under a cloud of threats, online disinformation, and the potential for a grueling legal fight in the weeks ahead.

Although a typical Election Day inevitably includes some hiccups like long lines or weather-related issues, this year election workers face the additional challenge of a heightened threat environment and an onslaught of litigation concerning voting rules and ballot counting.

Even so, election officials on Monday expressed confidence in their ability to execute on Election Day. Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt said the vote in his state would be "free, fair, safe, and secure." Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said that "at the end of the day, it's going to be fair and fast and accurate."

And in North Carolina, Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the state's Board of Elections, said, "Despite all the naysayers, despite all false information and sensationalist rhetoric out there about elections, and despite a devastating hurricane, we are making this happen in North Carolina."

-Lucien Bruggeman

The first election results will come in tonight shortly after 6 p.m. Eastern, but we will likely have to wait until Wednesday or even later to know who won. This is for two reasons: First, this is a really close race, and media outlets won't project a winner until they're absolutely certain that one candidate has an insurmountable lead. Second, it takes time for states to count the millions of ballots expected to be cast.

We may not know the results of the 2024 election on Tuesday night but we might have a good idea of how things are headed.

Each state counts votes on a different timeline. Roughly speaking, the seven main presidential swing states fall into three categories in this regard. First, Georgia and North Carolina are expected to count the quickest. Both of these states are expected to release a large chunk of their results shortly after polls close.

Then, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin count at a moderate pace. They will probably be counting all through the night but should be done by Wednesday morning (although Pennsylvania could take longer). Finally, Arizona and Nevada always take days to count their votes, so if the presidential race comes down to those states, don't expect a projection until late in the week.