: vice president Kamala Harris or former president Donald Trump.
So far, the debate has been heated and ugly between Republican candidate Trump and both Harris and Biden, the latter of whom only dropped out as the Democratic nominee in late July.
In the lead-up to the vote, here are all your questions answered.
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Who is Kamala Harris?
Kamala Harris was born in 1964 and, after graduating from law school, began a long career as a prosecutor, eventually becoming California's attorney-general in 2011.
She launched a successful campaign for the US Senate in 2016 but failed to attract support during a short-lived tilt for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
However, and, after his , Harris became the first African American and Asian person to serve as US vice president.
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Who is Kamala Harris and what are her chances in the November election?
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26/07/202407:06
Who is Donald Trump?
Donald Trump was born in 1946 to a New York real estate tycoon and joined his father's business as soon as he graduated college, becoming the company’s president in 1971.
His big media break came in 2004 with the reality TV show The Apprentice, which helped solidify his image as a savvy, tough businessman and contributed greatly to his public persona.
Trump's unorthodox political approach and ability to attract media attention helped him secure the Republican nomination and ultimately led to
His push to build a wall along the US-Mexico border and have both been controversial.
Trump was the first president to be impeached twice but both times he was acquitted by the Senate.
Since leaving the presidency, Trump has faced 91 felony charges across four criminal cases and is the .
Who is Kamala Harris' running mate Tim Walz?
Minnesota governor Tim Walz is a US Army National Guard veteran and former schoolteacher elected to the US House of Representatives in 2006.
The 60-year-old Walz is a self-proclaimed champion of "progressive values", and policies he has endorsed as governor have included expanding paid leave and free school meals.
Who is Donald Trump's running mate JD Vance?
Republican senator for Ohio JD Vance rose to prominence after releasing a 2016 memoir focusing on his upbringing in Middletown, Ohio.
He was a critic of Donald Trump in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election but began to recant his former statements about Trump while running for the US Senate in 2021.
He is , believing individual states should set abortion laws.
Why did President Joe Biden drop out of the race?
US President Joe Biden was the Democrats' 2024 presidential candidate until he dropped out on 21 July, several weeks after a against Trump.
The 81-year-old's performance in the debate sparked concerns about his mental acuity and resulted in calls from party leaders and donors to exit the race.
After dropping out and endorsing Harris — who until then was his running mate — Biden said would have been too much of a distraction to his campaign.
Which states will decide the US election and why?
Seven swing states have been Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina and Georgia.
Both candidates have roughly similar levels of support among voters in these states, meaning they could lean either way come election day.
Source: SBS News
However, a key factor that unites the swing states in this electoral cycle is that they all have large populations in both urban and rural areas, which creates a strong political divide, .
The US Electoral College: Why winning the most votes doesn't make you president
In 2016, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton received almost 3 million more votes than Donald Trump — nonetheless, the latter became president.
That's because US presidential elections aren't decided by the popular vote, but by the 'Electoral College' — a weighted system in which 270 of 538 electoral votes are required to win.
States each have the same number of electoral votes as they have representatives and senators — electoral votes do not correspond to population size in most states.
When is the US election, and when will we know the results?
The US general election will be held on 5 November 2024, a Tuesday. However, almost all states in the US allow citizens to vote early, meaning millions of Americans will have already cast their vote before election day.
In most states, mail ballots are counted on election day, either when the polls open or after they close. Regardless of when the count starts, results cannot be disclosed until after the polls close on election day.
Polling places open in most states close by around 7-8pm (local time). That means it'll be the afternoon of 6 November (AEDT) when polls close and results start coming in.
The winner of the presidential election is usually declared on election night or the next morning, but not always. In 2020, it took four days before most broadcasters projected .
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Who can vote in the US presidential election?
People can vote in a US federal election if they’re US citizens – including citizens living outside of the US and dual citizens – who will be 18 or older by election day and have registered to vote.
Non-citizens, including permanent legal residents, cannot vote in federal or state elections in the US and there are heavy penalties for non-citizens who try to vote, including jail time, fines and deportation.
What has Kamala Harris promised to do if elected?
Harris has made reproductive rights and personal freedoms a rallying cry and backs a national law codifying access to safe abortion.
On foreign policy, Harris is expected to stick largely to Biden's playbook on key issues such as Ukraine, China and Iran.
She has , saying the militant group must be "eliminated", and remains committed to the US policy of arming Israel.
Her economic plans include tax cuts for most Americans, price gouging bans, more affordable housing and a new child tax credit as well as efforts to boost domestic manufacturing.
She has promised tougher immigration and fentanyl controls at the border.
Her climate and energy positions are similar to those held by Biden, even as US oil and gas production soared to record highs.
What has Donald Trump promised to do if elected?
On foreign policy, Trump has vowed to fundamentally alter the US' relationship with NATO and .
On Trump has promised mass deportations, the expansion of a travel ban on people from certain countries and ending birthright —
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America's great immigration debate: what are both sides saying?
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20/10/202415:07
Trump takes credit for the and said abortion laws should be left to states — a position that
Trump said he does not support banning birth control.
Trump has sought to distance himself from the despite the involvement of his former aides and running mate JD Vance.
On the economy, Trump has pledged to end taxes on tips and overtime, to lower corporate tax rates and to open federal lands to foreign companies and housing. He has also vowed to undo much of Biden’s climate change work.
What are the main issues that will decide the US election?
In early September, the results of a recent national Pew Research Center survey .
Around 61 per cent of voters said immigration is very important to their vote — up nine percentage points from the 2020 election. According to Pew's research, the issue is now much more important for Republican than Democrat voters.
Eighty-one per cent of registered voters said the economy would be very important in this year's election. Around 93 per cent of Trump supporters said the economy is a leading issue, compared with 68 per cent of Harris supporters.
For 65 per cent of all voters, health care is very important to their vote, while gun policy is a very important issue for 56 per cent of all voters.
Supreme Court appointments are very important for 63 per cent of all voters and foreign policy is on the minds of 62 per cent.
Violent crime is a very important issue for 61 per cent of all voters
Over 50 per cent of all voters say abortion is very important, including 67 per cent of Harris supporters compared to 35 per cent of those who support Trump.
Do Australians prefer Donald Trump or Kamala Harris?
Recent polling has consistently shown that more Australians support Kamala Harris over Donald Trump.
A found 67 per cent of Australians would vote for Kamala Harris, while only 33 per cent would choose Donald Trump, if they had a say in the US presidential election.
A found that 73 per cent of Australians wanted Harris to become US president, compared to only 22 per cent for Donald Trump.
Want more politics? You can stream poignant political documentaries in the SBS On Demand 'Politics and Power' collection and keep up with daily news bulletins in the .
