What will decide the US election and why it's so close

It's a coin-toss of an election - but that does not mean we won't get a decisive result, writes Anthony Zurcher.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsUS ElectionSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifyUS ElectionElection pollsKamala HarrisDonald TrumpJD VanceTim WalzSportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsUS ElectionSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersWhat will decide the US election and why it's so closeWatch: Where do things stand on election morning in the US?Never in recent US political history has the outcome of a presidential been so in doubt - this is not a contest for the faint of heart.

While past elections have been narrowly decided - George W Bush's 2000 victory over Al Gore came down to a few hundred votes in Florida - there's always been some sense of which direction the race was tilting in the final days.

Sometimes, as in 2016, the sense is wrong. In that year, polls overestimated Hillary Clinton's strength and failed to detect a late-breaking movement in Donald's Trump favour.

This time around, however, the arrows are all pointing in different directions. No-one can seriously make a prediction either way.

Most of the final polls are well within the margin of error, both nationally and in the seven key battleground states that will decide the election.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm276e04z77o

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