Handful of voters could decide US election winner — Obama shares video message

Former President Barack Obama urged Americans to vote on Tuesday as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump remained dead-even in the tightest and most volatile White House contest of modern times.
“Folks this election is going to be close. In some states just a handful of voters in every precinct could decide the winner. So you need to get out there and vote. Tell your family, talk to your neighbours, make a plan, go to the polls with your friends and vote. Vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,” he urged in a video message. 
Tens of millions of voters are expected to cast their ballots on Tuesday — on top of the 83 million who have already voted early. A final presidential outcome may not be known for several days if the results are as close as polls suggest, adding to tensions in a deeply divided nation.
Harris had made a dramatic entry into the political fray earlier this year as President Joe Biden dropped out of the elections. She now stands a chance to become the first woman president of the US if elected to power on Tuesday. She will also be the first person of Asian/Indian descent to hold the top post and only the second Black American (after Obama) to become President.
Opinion polls over the past few months however offer scant information about the results — with Harris and rival Donald Trump remaining neck-and-neck in the swing states.
The first ballots cast on election day mirrored the nationwide divide — with the six registered voters in the tiny hamlet of Dixville Notch splitting their votes between Harris and Trump. The tiny New Hampshire town has a tradition dating back to 1960 of being the first in the nation to complete in-person voting. The six voters cast their ballots at midnight with vote count being completed 15 minutes later.
(With inputs from agencies)