LIVE - Follow the US presidential election

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An extraordinary election in the form of a referendum for or against Donald Trump.

Americans go to the polls on Tuesday to elect their president, in a context marked by the coronavirus pandemic and strong tensions between Democrats and Republicans.

If Democrat Joe Biden is the favorite in the polls, Donald Trump remains confident to come back to work for a new four-year term.

In any case, participation promises to be much higher than in 2016: more than 100 million Americans have already voted in advance, a record.

The polling stations have opened, while the first results are expected overnight.

>> Follow this historic evening live on our website and on the antennas of Europe 1, with a special night from 1am to 5am then a special morning edition on Wednesday morning. 

Information to remember

• Joe Bien is the favorite in the polls against outgoing President Donald Trump 

• Polling stations have opened, turnout promises to be significantly higher than four years ago

• Donald Trump assures Americans are "entitled to know the winner" on election day

• The tension is very strong, between coronavirus and fears of clashes between the two camps

Polling stations have opened to record participation 

It is in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic that Americans are called to vote.

Polling stations have opened in much of the country.

Nearly 100 million voters, anxious to avoid the risk of Covid-19 in queues, have already voted in advance in recent weeks.

By comparison, 57 million voters voted in advance four years ago.

Turnout, which reached 55.7% in 2016, is therefore expected to be very high and could be the highest for several decades. 

A mobilization that can be explained both by the Democrats' calls to vote as soon as possible and to block Donald Trump, and by the repeated requests from the US president to his supporters.

The Trump camp says, without supporting evidence, that postal voting is more prone to fraud, and promises that its voters will come in droves to defeat the polls.

, certain of their champion's victory. 

Americans are starting to drop their votes this morning in #Tampa, Florida.

Almost 70% of the 2016 turnout already reached in early voting.

Are we going to see a “Red wave” in the offices for @realDonaldTrump?

#USAElections2020@Europe1pic.twitter.com/tTBVqMiUmJ

- Théo Maneval (@TheoManeval) November 3, 2020

Biden poll favorite against confident Trump, first results expected overnight 

Joe Biden leads the polls, as Hillary Clinton did four years ago.

But this time the pollsters say they have improved their methods.

These spreads are also very stable from the start.

On Monday, ten points still separated Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

"I want to restore decency and honor to the White House," said the Democratic candidate, armed with a megaphone, on Tuesday in front of a small group of supporters in his hometown of Scranton, in the key state of Pennsylvania. 

Despite a record weighed down by the pandemic, Donald Trump for his part assured to have a "very solid chance of winning", during an interview on the

channel

in the early morning.

The first results should fall in the first states around 1am to 2am.

But the count could take longer than usual, warned the US Minister of Homeland Security.

"Voters will have to be patient," Chad Wolf said at a press conference.

"It is important to recognize that this process may take time."

US Presidential Election Results

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The fear of overflows 

This election is taking place in any case in a flammable context, between the coronavirus pandemic and extreme tensions between the two camps.

The country "is more divided than it has been since the Civil War", judged the former Minister of Foreign Affairs Hubert Védrine on Europe 1. Tangible sign of the anxieties caused by the poll, the businesses of several large cities, including Washington, Los Angeles and New York, have barricaded themselves in anticipation of possible post-election violence. 

Donald Trump appeared on Tuesday to temper concerns that he could claim victory before the official results are announced in the states.

Asked by

on when he would declare himself a winner, he replied: "Only when we have a victory. There is no reason to fire plans."

But what attitude will the Republican adopt if he is defeated by Joe Biden?

The mystery remains unsolved. 

PODCAST - (Re) listen to Mister President

Political scientist Olivier Duhamel tells you the incredible story of the American presidential elections since 1948, from Truman to Obama, from Kennedy to Clinton, including the Bushes, father and son ... 

>>> Find the 12 episodes on our Europe1.fr site, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud or your usual listening platforms.

A majority of 270 voters to be elected 

If you are not familiar with the American political system, a little update is in order.

In the United States, the presidential election is conducted by indirect universal suffrage.

American citizens vote in each state to elect 538 grand voters, on the principle of "winner-takes-all".

To schematize: if a candidate wins California, he wins all of the major voters involved (55 in this case).

A majority of 270 large voters is thus necessary, regardless of the number of votes garnered.  

With this electoral system, a candidate can therefore be elected without having obtained a majority of the votes.

This is what happened in 2016, when Donald Trump was elected with 3 million votes less than Hillary Clinton.

A situation that was not unprecedented: five American presidents in all lost the popular vote but won the election.

The key states, where the election takes place 

The election will be played out in a handful of key states, these famous "swing states" which can switch to the Democratic side as to the Republican side.

The results of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin will be particularly scrutinized.

All voted for Donald Trump in 2016, but several of them might prefer Joe Biden this year.

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American Presidential Election

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And if you want to test your knowledge of the US presidential election while waiting for the results,