(MENAFN- The Conversation) This is a rolling guide to articles and audio published by The Conversation in the immediate run-up to and aftermath of the election, with some explainers about the process. This page is updated from the top, so older references are moved down the page.

Good morning world. The United States has made its choice. And, as of 5am Donald Trump and the Republican Party will be the happier contenders, having so far won the most electoral college votes and the first swing states of North Carolina and Georgia, as well as regaining control of the Senate.

It's been a turbulent four months since outgoing president Joe Biden announced he was terminating his bid for a second term and the battlelines between the two candidates, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris were drawn. Soon we will know who will lead the US for the next four years.

From here, with the help of some of the sharpest analysts of US politics, we'll keep you updated and informed as the situation develops.

Dafydd Townley, teaching fellow in international security at University of Portsmouth, has written an overview of how the election went down, with turnout looking high and no major incidents of violence, despite what look like numerous bomb hoaxes with possible Russian origins.

Read more: Trump takes first swing states of North Carolina and Georgia after voting passes peacefully

When will we know the result?

To get an idea of the scale of the task of counting votes, take a look at the below map of the US colour-coded by poll closing times. How long the count could take is anyone's guess at this stage. Each state has its own rules.

Ahead of the polls closing Richard Hargy, an expert in US politics from Queen's University Belfast, wrote a guide to the process, when the votes are counted and when we might start to see results.

Read more: US election: what time do the polls close and when will the results be known? An expert explains

Delays are baked into the process, such as Pennsylvania, which doesn't allow votes cast before election day or ballots posted in to be counted until polls close, which was at 8pm (1am GMT).

So we'll just have to be patient. In the mean time, you can also read Hargy's explainer on the “electoral college” system , which can mean that the candidate with the most votes may not win the presidency.

Read more: US election: how does the electoral college voting system work?

Early voting and what it might mean

Scott Lucas, professor of international politics at University College Dublin, believes that in a cliffhanger election, a clue to the outcome may be in the size of turnout. More than 80 million Americans voted early – around half of the total turnout in 2020 and around one-third of the eligible electorate.

Tense moment for the US

During the campaign there have been two assassination attempts on former president Trump as well as arson attacks on ballot boxes and ballots damaged. In Arizona the Democratic party was forced to close one of its offices after it had been shot at three times.

Dafydd Townley, a fellow in international security at Portsmouth University, believes that there could be a reluctance to accept the result and that this could result in further disturbances. He has written about how much violence there has been during this campaign .

Read more: US election: officials are issued with panic buttons as attacks on ballot boxes continue

Dafyyd Townley comments on post-election violence. How race has played into the campaign

Rhianna Garrett, PhD researcher and global coordinator of the critical mixed race studies executive board at Loughborough University, says that Trump's campaign has been“littered with attempts to weaponise” the multiracial heritage of his Democrat opponent Kamala Harris.

Trump and winning male voters

Donald Trump widened his appeal to male voters in this election, with polling indicating that he was picking up more support from Black and Latino men, as well as more young men more widely.

One reason for this may be that in 2024 young men are more conservative than any other group in the US. Another reason why gender has become a divisive issue is the overturning of Roe v Wade, the legal case that gave American women abortion rights.

Read more on the gender divide in this article from Natasha Lindstaedt, a professor of government at Essex University.

Read more: US election: why more men and fewer white women say they will vote for Trump

A free speech campaign?

Julie Posetti, professor of journalism at City St George's, University of London, and global director of research at the International Center for Journalists, recently conducted a survey of more than 1,000 Americans on their attitudes to the press.

Breaking down the results, they were able to build a picture of what people in the US think of targeting journalists for criticism and even abuse. You can read all about the study here .

Read more: New survey finds an alarming tolerance for attacks on the press in the US – particularly among white, Republican men

When Trump speaks – his supporters hear him loud and clear

Channel 4 is showing pictures of the Trump party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, where the Maga faithful are celebrating the news that it appears that Trump has retaken Georgia in his second swing-state victory. Their idol is expected to join them soon.

While we wait for him to speak, here's a fascinating piece on Trump's rhetorical style by Loren D. Marsh of the Humboldt University of Berlin. His speeches have been ridiculed by his opponents during the campaign. They say he's unfocused, rambling and at times nonsensical. He calls it the“weave” and says it's genius. Marsh says that whatever you may think, it seems to work for his supporters.

Read more: Trump's speeches are chaotic, rambling, and extremely effective. Aristotle can explain why

A bad night for the pollsters

Natasha Lindstaedt says that academics and pundits got the polls badly wrong in 2024.

She said that many people following the campaign thought that women were going to turn out and that would make the difference. But in fact it didn't.

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