It is instructive to not that the American voting pattern is quite different from that of Nigeria. The Americans will today voted for the over 500 members of the electoral college who will then vote based on the outcome of the results from each of the 50 states.

The first polls will open from 05:00 EDT (11:AM Nigerian time) in Vermont.

Unprecedentedly, nearly 100 million people have already cast their ballots in early voting, putting the country on course for its highest turnout in a century.

Both rivals spent the final hours of the race rallying in key swing states.

National polls give a firm lead to Mr Biden, but it is a closer race in the states that could decide the outcome.

In the US election, voters decide state-level contests rather than an overall single national one.

When Tim's Biden sign was stolen, he got some unexpected help

To be elected president, a candidate must win at least 270 votes in what is called the electoral college. Each US state gets a certain number of votes partly based on its population and there are a total of 538 up for grabs.

This system explains why it is possible for a candidate to win the most votes nationally - like Hillary Clinton did in 2016 - but still lose the election.

Tuesday's vote comes amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The US has recorded more cases and more deaths than any other country worldwide, reporting more than 84,000 new infections on Monday alone.