Americans go to the polls on 8 November to elect the 45th US president.

Here's
what to watch out for as election night unfolds.
All 50 states and Washington DC will go to the polls across six different time zones on
election day.
But it's not just winning the popular vote that counts. The US's complicated system is a
race to secure 270 out of the 538 votes in the electoral college.
Most of the US will have to wait for polling stations to close - typically between 19:00
EST (24:00 GMT) and 20:00 EST (01:00 GMT) - for state projections.
However, one village, Dixville Notch in New Hampshire, has a tradition of middle-of-thenight voting and will have declared its result before the polls even open everywhere
else, at 00:01 EST (05:01 GMT).
Here's what's likely to happen, based on when polls close, with the caveat that all times
are subject to change if it's too close to call.
The BBC relies on projections by its US-based partner broadcaster ABC, because it can
take days for all the ballots to be counted.
As for the final result? Stay glued to your phone or TV or set your alarm for 23:00 EST
(04:00 GMT). That's when West Coast polls close and history suggests a winner's
declared. It was bang on the hour in 2008, and 15 minutes later in 2012.

19:00 EST (00:00 GMT)

Image copyrightAP

East Coast polling booths close and counting begins.

All eyes will be on the key battleground state of Virginia (13 electoral
votes),which voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 but was previously solid
Republican.
If Donald Trump is victorious here, or if it's a close win for Hillary Clinton, it could
portend a very long, stressful night for the Democrats, according to the BBC's North
America reporter Anthony Zurcher.
Georgia (16) is another one to watch. The state has voted Republican since 1996,
but the party's margin of victory has eroded in recent elections.
Also expect projections from Indiana (11), home to Trump running mate Mike
Pence, Kentucky (8), South Carolina (9) and Vermont (3).

19:30 EST (00:30 GMT)

Polls close in two further important states, North Carolina (15) and Ohio (18).
North Carolina defines the American divide.
"It's seen an influx of newcomers. Many of them lean Democrat. But poor white voters
tip North Carolina's rural areas towards Donald Trump," the BBC's Katty Kay says. The
state could be an early indicator of which way the election is going to go.
Ohio is one of the most hotly expected results. The bellwether swing state has backed
the winner at every presidential contest except one since World War Two.
We could also see a projection for West Virginia (5), which has voted Republican
since 2000.

20:00 EST (01:00 GMT)

Image copyrightAPImage captionRush hour will probably be from 20:00 EST

(01:00 GMT) to 21:00 EST (02:00 GMT)

Rush hour begins.
Maine (4), Maryland (10), Massachusetts (11), New Jersey (14),
Rhode Island(4), Delaware (3), Connecticut (7) and the District of
Columbia (3) are among the East Coast states that will be projected.
The key battleground of Florida (29), which is crucial to the fortunes of any
presidential contender, could also come in. The state voted for Obama in 2008 and
2012, but George W Bush won it in preceding elections - by just 537 votes in 2000.
However, that year it took 36 days for Bush to be certified as the winner, as the vote
triggered a recount and legal showdown, so if it's close don't expect an announcement
for a while.

If Trump does not win Florida and Ohio, his chances of a victory will be slim.
We should hear from Pennsylvania (20), which has swung for the Democrats in the
previous six elections. It will be a big blow to Clinton if she doesn't win here.
New Hampshire (4) will be eagerly watched as the polls suggest it's a dead heat.
A number of Republican
strongholds - Mississippi (6), Missouri (10), Alabama(9),
Tennessee (11)and Oklahoma (7) - should come in. As should Obama's home
state of Illinois(20), which is expected to hand its votes to Clinton.
By this point, we should have a fairly clear idea which side is going to have the upper
hand, even before many states are projected to have been won or lost.

20:30 EST (01:30 GMT)

Polls close in Arkansas (6), which backed Bill Clinton at successive elections in the
1990s, but has voted Republican since 2000.
Meanwhile the Asian markets open, so we'll get an indication of how currencies around
the world might react to a Clinton or Trump presidency.

21:00 EST (02:00 GMT)

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionAt this point, the candidates might

turn to prayer
Look for early projections for Clinton in New York (29), where she is heavily
favoured.
The starkly divided state of Colorado (9), which has a growing Latino population but
a strong conservative streak, will be a key state to watch this hour. Historically, it's one of
the most widely swinging battleground states, casting its vote for Republican George W
Bush in 2004 by a higher percentage than the nation as a whole, but then doing the
same thing for Democrat Barack Obama four years later.
The industrial Midwestern state of Michigan (16) could also cause an upset. Voters
there haven't supported a Republican for president since 1988, but a backlash against
globalisation has turned the state's heavily populated white, non-college-educated
voters to Trump.

Polls also close in Texas (38), Kansas (6), Louisiana (8), North
Dakota (3),South Dakota (3), Minnesota (10), Wyoming (3)
and Nebraska (5).It's worth noting that Nebraska and Maine are the only two states
not to allocate all their votes to the winner of the popular vote.
Keep an eye on Wisconsin (10), which hasn't gone Republican since 1984. Trump
has been making a last-minute push to turn the state red.
New Mexico (5) used to be seen as a swing state but Democrats have won five of
the past six presidential elections and Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric and repeated
vows to build a wall along the border should hand it to Clinton this time.

22:00 EST (03:00 GMT)

Historically Republican Nevada (6) looks like it could be a nail biter, as early voting
suggests a Hispanic surge could turn out for Clinton. It's a similar situation
inArizona (11), which has voted Republican in every election since 1952 with the
exception of Bill Clinton's win in 1996.
Utah (6) is another interesting one to watch. Former CIA agent and Mormon Evan
McMullin, who is running as an independent, is doing well in the polls and could be the
only state to hand a loss to both Clinton and Trump, despite backing Republican
candidates in the past.
Iowa (6) is a must-win for Trump, given his strength among white, non-collegeeducated voters, but it voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012 so it's not a done deal.
Montana (3) has been safely Republican since 1968, bar a single victory for
Democrat Bill Clinton in 1992.