Just two days before the U.S. presidential election, a new poll from the New York Times/Siena College reveals a neck-and-neck race between Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and former Republican president Donald Trump across seven key battleground states.
The survey, conducted from October 24 to November 2 among 7,879 likely voters, shows Harris with slim leads in Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, while Trump holds a slight edge in Arizona. In Michigan, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, the candidates are nearly tied, with all results falling within the poll’s 3.5 percent margin of error.
Among the 40 percent of respondents who have already cast their ballots, Harris leads by 8 points. However, Trump appears to have stronger support from those who have not yet voted but are very likely to do so. Notably, Trump has gained ground in Pennsylvania, where Harris’s previous four-point lead has now narrowed to a dead heat.
Both candidates are focusing their final campaign efforts on pivotal battleground states. Trump is set to visit Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia on Sunday, while Harris will campaign in Michigan.
With these states spanning four time zones, here’s a breakdown of the polling times (all in Eastern Standard Time):
- Arizona: Polls open at 8 am and close at 9 pm. Biden’s narrow 0.3 percent win here in 2020 marked only the second Democratic victory in nearly 70 years.
- Georgia: Voting hours are 7 am to 7 pm. Biden’s 2020 win, the first for a Democrat since 1992, was by just 11,779 votes—a result Trump has legally challenged in ongoing Fulton County litigation.
- Michigan: Polls open at 7 am. Biden reclaimed the state in 2020 after Trump’s 2016 win; most precincts close by 8 pm, with some closing at 9 pm.
- Nevada: Voting begins at 10 am, with polls closing at 10 pm. Known for its predictive reliability, Nevada has accurately chosen the president in 27 of the last 30 elections.
- North Carolina: Polls open at 6:30 am and close at 7:30 pm. Despite Trump’s 2020 win, the state remains a close contest.
- Pennsylvania: Voting is from 7 am to 8 pm. This state offers the highest number of electoral votes among the battlegrounds; Biden won by roughly 80,000 votes in 2020.
- Wisconsin: Polls are open from 8 am to 9 pm. Wisconsin is known for tight margins, with wins decided by less than 1 percent in recent elections.
With voting about to begin, the candidates are racing to secure their standings in these critical states.
