The race is on and Democrat, Hillary Clinton is now projected to have won in New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Delaware, Illinois and Rhode Island.

Republican candidate, Donald Trump is projected to win Mississippi, Indiana, Alabama, Kentucky, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Tennessee and South Carolina.

There are no major surprises yet.

With these results in, Hillary Clinton has secured 104 electoral votes while Trump has 129 electoral votes.

The first candidate to reach 270 electoral votes will be the next President of the US.

Polls have also closed in two important states, North Carolina, which has 15 Electoral College votes and Ohio, with 18, but we have no projections for them yet.

North Carolina defines the American divide - with an influx of newer, Democratic‑leaning voters but poor white voters in rural areas leaning towards Trump.

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.

All eyes are also on Virginia, where exit polls are pointing to a tight race, with big divides of race, gender and education dominating the vote.

Donald Trump appears to have a very slight edge in Florida at the moment but the BBC is still waiting for some key counties ‑ including some Democratic strongholds ‑ to finish their counts.

Earlier:

As polls close in a number of states in the US elections, the Hillary Clinton campaign is growing increasingly confident of reaching 270 electoral votes, with turnout indicators throughout the day hitting their metrics.

Michigan appears to be heading toward the Democratic column, the Clinton campaign believes, largely based on the last minute push yesterday from President Obama and Clinton. 

But tonight, there are the urgent signs of concern: North Carolina and Ohio.

Clinton is making additional calls to radio stations in the state, including one a short time ago in North Carolina.

A Clinton’s campaign manager has told CNN that he believes North Carolina is the tightest state.

The upside for the Clinton campaign: They don't believe they absolutely need either state for their math. Trump does.

And while continuing to be optimistic about their chances, two sources acknowledge an internal model the Trump campaign and his allies are relying on shows the Republican nominee coming up short of 270 electoral votes.

The CNN says these are models – not results – and many key battleground states remain close both in public and private metrics, but at least for now, a key internal model does not spell victory.

Trump has maintained his bold predictions for victory on the campaign trail, but privately multiple aides acknowledge that Trump is a worrier. 

He has been pressing aides all day for any hard data to indicate where the race is trending.

Meanwhile Hillary Clinton said after voting earlier today that she is ready for the top job if she wins tonight.

Donald Trump’s message was clear in Michigan when he spoke to voters late last night.

While speaking at the Clinton campaign late last night, President Obama said that he has faith in the voters that they will make the right decision.

The results will be released from the next hour and we will know by this evening on who will be the next American President.

Stay with us for updates. 

Source: BBC