As election campaigns go, this one has been about as box office as it gets – and record global TV audiences are expected for its finale.
If you are among those planning to catch the action, here is a quick guide to how late you may be up – or what time you should set an alarm.
(All times GMT)
11pm: Polls close in Indiana and Kentucky. Both are staunchly Republican. US networks will quickly declare such “safe” states.
12am: Voting ends in Florida, one of the most crucial battlegrounds. A Trump victory is seen as unlikely if he does not secure the 29 college votes from the state which backed the last five winners.
12.30am: Polls close in Ohio – another state with a near-perfect recent record of choosing the eventual winner – and North Carolina, which polls suggest is on a knife-edge. Electoral maths dictate that Mr Trump needs to take most swing states to secure the White House.
1am: Pennsylvania, where Mrs Clinton made her final campaign stop, starts counting. In 2012, Barack Obama was declared the winner there after about two hours. Lots of “safe” states will start to be declared by the American TV networks.
2am: Arizona and Colorado polls close.
3am: Iowa and Nevada polls close.
4am: By this time it will be becoming clear whether or not the tight polls were wrong and one of the rivals has won convincingly.
5am: Around this time in 2008 and 2012, the Republican nominees made speeches conceding victory to Mr Obama.
