[h=1]It's gonna be Brexit plus plus plus boasts Trump as the US election goes down to the wire - and here's your guide to what going to happen and when[/h][h=1]
Trump and Clinton spent final hours of election campaigns making final pitches to voters in swing states
Trump - who billed himself as anti-establishment vote - said win would be bigger coup than Brexit vote
His campaign still insist victory is possible, despite three separate polls putting Clinton four points ahead
Billionaire Trump claimed FBI's decision to drop investigation against rival was proof election is rigged
By TOM LEONARD IN NEW YORK FOR THE DAILY MAIL PUBLISHED: 00:11, 8 November 2016 | UPDATED: 02:39, 8 November 2016
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Donald Trump called on Americans to ‘deliver justice at the ballot box’ as he and bitter rival Hillary Clinton spent the closing hours of the presidential election making their final pitches. Amid calls from politicians from both sides for FBI chief James Comey to resign for ‘meddling’ in the election, voters cast their ballots today after the most toxic campaign in US political history. Speaking in North Carolina, Republican candidate Mr Trump – who called himself ‘Mr Brexit’ during the campaign – promised that today was ‘gonna be Brexit plus, plus, plus’.
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Hillary Clinton, pictured second right, was joined on stage in the early hours of this morning with her husband Bill, right, her daughter Chelsea, centre, and musicians Jon Bon Jovi and Lady Gaga, left, in Morrisville, North Carolina
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The Democratic candidate covered more than 2,000 miles covering three states and four states on the final campaign day
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Clinton's aide Huma Abedin, whose estranged husband Anthony Weiner was responsible for the latest email scandal was standing behind the former secretary of state as she waited to go on stage at North Carolina State University last night
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Donald Trump, pictured, added a final campaign stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a traditional Democratic heartland, but the Republicans think they might be able to turn the state red by securing the support of disillusioned rust belt workers
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Dixville Notch in New Hampshire became the first area to return a result for the election with four voters choosing Clinton/Kaine, two picking Trump/Pence and two deciding on other candidates, although the first accurate indications of who will win will not be known until about 4am GMT tomorrow although a final result could take several days
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Both Trump and Clinton continued their campaigning well into election day in an effort to scoop up any remaining votes
Wearing a red pantsuit, Hillary Clinton visited three states and four cities during her marathon final day on the campaign trail, covering more than 2,000 miles. Along the way, she held rallies with President Obama, President Bill Clinton, Bruce Springsteen, Jon BonJovi and Lady Gaga. She flew threw Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Allendale, Michigan; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Raleigh, North Carolina - three swing states, all vital to secure a historic win Tuesday and become America's first woman president.
The Democrat is looking to lock in key battleground states to block any path her Republican opponent Donald Trump might have to the White House. Donald Trump made an attempt to turn the traditionally Democrat Michigan into a red state with a last minute campaign stop to Grand Rapids. Speaking in just hours before the polls were due to open, he told the crowd: 'Today is our Independence Day. Today the American working class is going to strike back.' He was due to finish his campaign in New Hampshire, but added Michigan in an effort to secure the support of disillusioned rust belt workers. Both candidates returned home to New York after an exhausting final day on the campaign trail.
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Midway through a speech lambasting Mrs Clinton’s star supporters Jay Z and Beyonce for their crude language, Mr Trump broke off to indulge in some brief levity as he admired a latex mask of himself brandished by a fan in Sarasota, Florida
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As Trump attempted to woo the crowd in key state Florida, Hillary was also on the campaign trail. Here she addresses a passionate rally in Michigan, another key state, yesterday
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In Vancouver yesterday, Trump pumps his fist at a rally as hundreds of supporters wave signs in the air carrying his famous slogan throughout the campaign: 'Make America great again'
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Clinton is four points ahead in the polls but Black voters have proved particularly unexcited about voting for her, prompting her campaign to rely heavily on Barack Obama, pictured today in New Hampshire
CAN HE DO IT? The CNN electoral college prediction after it fell under 270 - with North Carolina, Florida and New Hampshire not just in play but being visited by both candidates at the last minute
Calling on voters to ‘reject a media and political elite that has bled our country dry’, he added: ‘It’s going to be amazing. We’re going to drain the swamp.’ With Democrat Mrs Clinton, 69, four points ahead in three separate polls of likely voters yesterday, both campaigns concentrated on a clutch of ‘battleground’ states such as Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, as well as some in the northern Midwest such as Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin which have shown signs of weakening in their traditional support for the Democrats. Mr Trump’s best chance of snatching victory was hampered by the FBI’s decision to drop its investigation into Mrs Clinton’s emails, but the billionaire used the bureau’s 11th-hour intervention to revive his claims that the election is rigged and that his opponent has been reckless with state secrets. And amid accusations that he has been the most Machiavellian FBI boss since the notorious J Edgar Hoover, under-fire Mr Comey faces serving one of two candidates, both of whom have publicly effectively accused him of political bias.
Mr Trump’s best chance of snatching victory was hampered by the FBI’s decision to drop its investigation into Mrs Clinton’s (pictured yesterday in Michigan) emails was announced by FBI chief James Comey
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The billionaire used the bureau’s 11th-hour intervention to revive his claims that the election is rigged and that his opponent has been reckless with state secrets
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Donald Trump addresses supporters at Macomb Community College, also in Michigan, one of the states he must win if he is to have any chance of emerging from the brutal election campaign victorious
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With Democrat Mrs Clinton, 69, four points ahead in the polls, both campaigns concentrated on a clutch of ‘battleground’ states such as Michigan, which have shown signs of weakening in their traditional support for the Democrats
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Waiting in the wings as Trump gave his address were Eric Trump, his son, and Eric's wife Lara Yunaska use their iPhones
Veteran Republican Newt Gingrich said Mr Comey ‘caved’ in to pressure to close the investigation and had been ‘twisted into an indefensible pretzel of contradictions’. Democrats, meanwhile, are furious that many Americans exploited the chance to vote early during a period of uncertainty about the FBI investigation when Mrs Clinton’s likelihood of winning plunged in polls. Thousands of supporters packed an arena in Sarasota, Florida, to hear Mr Trump, 70, speak in the first of five rallies yesterday.
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Campaign: Chelsea Clinton yesterday
As newly released Clinton campaign emails revealed how the CNN network had asked her aides for help on deciding interview questions for Mr Trump, he attacked the US media for favouring the Democrats. Dismissing the late polls predicting a Clinton victory as ‘a phony deal’, he said: ‘They are so worried. You ought to see them on television this morning.’ He added: ‘Hillary Clinton is being protected by a totally rigged system. And now it’s up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box tomorrow.’ Midway through a speech lambasting Mrs Clinton’s star supporters Jay Z and Beyonce for their crude language, Mr Trump broke off to indulge in some brief levity as he admired a latex mask of himself brandished by a fan. ‘Nice set of hair, I’ll say that,’ he said. ‘Is there any place more fun to be than a Trump rally?’ Showing no sign of preparing for defeat, the Trump campaign is reportedly considering who will join him in government. It is reported the tycoon is thinking of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani becoming his Attorney General and Mr Gingrich his Secretary of State. Facing a tough but not impossible task, Mr Trump must win all of the main swing states – including Florida, Ohio and North Carolina – as well as crack Mrs Clinton’s so-called ‘blue wall’ by taking some traditional Democrat states. Mrs Clinton tried to strike an upbeat tone yesterday, insisting she genuinely wants to be ‘a president for everybody’. She promised a crowd in Pittsburgh that she would listen even to voters who rejected her and made a late plea for ‘more love and kindness’. With many Democrat voters lukewarm about her or confident of victory, Mrs Clinton’s main problem is to ensure her supporters get out and vote today. Black voters have proved particularly unexcited about voting for her, prompting her campaign to rely heavily on Barack Obama. The President was hugged by Mrs Clinton’s daughter Chelsea as he appeared in Michigan at the close of what may be his final political campaign. He said Mr Trump was ‘temperamentally unfit’ to be the US commander-in-chief. [h=3]HOW DOES THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE WORK? [/h]The electoral college is made up of 538 voters - 435 Representatives and 100 Senators, plus three electors for the District of Colombia.
A candidate needs to win a majority of 270 electoral college votes to become President.
This voters' college make their pick based on which candidate receives a majority of votes in their corresponding states. That candidate receives all that state's electoral college votes.
An exception is made in Nebraska and Maine, where votes are assigned by proportional representation - meaning either candidate could receive votes from different congressional districts.
It is possible to win the electoral college vote and lose the popular vote - as with George W Bush in 2000. He eventually won the presidency over Al Gore following a Supreme Court ruling which had the ultimate effect of awarding Florida's votes to Bush.
The creators of the Constitution set up the system as a limit on direct democracy - or in Alexander Hamilton's words, as a way of preserving 'the sense of the people' - in other words to avoid a malicious majority forming. It also tries to ensure the rights of smaller states.
The electors cast their votes on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December and are counted in Congress on January 6.
The new President is then sworn in on January 20.
[h=3]DIXVILLE NOTCH: THE TINY NEW HAMPSHIRE COMMUNITY THAT VOTED AT MIDNIGHT[/h]
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Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, voted at midnight and announced its results earlier than the rest of the country
Dixville Notch, an unincorporated community in Dixville township, New Hampshire, voted at midnight in the early minutes of Tuesday, as per tradition.
Town moderator Tom Tillotson was pictured arriving with ballots Monday night.
A whopping total of eight votes were cast and the community announced its results before the rest of the country.
Dixville Notch voted Democrat for the first time since 1968 as four out of eight votes went to Clinton.
Trump came in second, with two votes.
One vote went to Gary Johnson and the last one was a write-in for Mitt Romney.
Dixville Notch suffered a 20 per cent drop in population this year when two people moved away.
But a new resident moved in not long afterwards, bringing the total current population to nine.
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Voters in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire traditionally cast their votes at midnight. Town moderator Tom Tillotson is pictured arriving with ballots Monday
[h=3]TRUMP 'NO LONGER TRUSTED TO TWEET' IN FINAL DAYS OF THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN [/h]Donald Trump was forced to give up control of his Twitter account in the final days of his campaign, it has been claimed.
The Republican Presidential candidate is said to have let his advisers send his tweets as he desperately tries to stay on message.
The New York Times described the move as ‘essential’ in stopping gaffe-prone Mr Trump from making more trouble for himself.
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Trump arrives for a campaign rally in the Lakawanna College Student Union yesterday in the vital swing state of Pennsylvania
Mr Trump has 13 million followers on Twitter and has used it as a key tool for getting out his message. But his unfiltered style has caused problems and his rantings on the social network – sometimes sent at 3am – have become a liability. Now he tells his Press secretary Hope Hicks about his proposed tweets, which she vets before posting them live.
Among those Mr Trump has insulted on Twitter have been the family of a dead American soldier who criticised him. He has also repeatedly called his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton ‘crooked’ and lashed out at Muslims, Mexicans and refugees.
Mr Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway denied that she had taken control of his Twitter account, saying: ‘I would not do that.’
At a Florida rally, Barack Obama mocked Mr Trump, saying: ‘If somebody can’t handle a Twitter account, they can’t handle the nuclear codes.’
