The state of democracy, the shape of the economy and abortion are the most important issues for American voters in the US presidential election, according to the first wave of exit polls.

Almost six in 10 people ranked the state of democracy as their number one issue, according to polls released by CBS News.

It was followed by abortion as five per cent of the voters felt it was an important issue for them. Over one in 10 chose the economy as a priority issue.

Millions of Americans voted to elect the 47th President between Republican leader Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in an election billed as one of the most consequential contests for the White House in decades.

An exit poll by CNN said roughly three-quarters of the electorate holds a negative view of the way things are going in the US today.

Only about one-quarter call themselves enthusiastic or satisfied with the state of the nation, with more than four in 10 dissatisfied and roughly three in 10 saying they are angry, according to the poll.

Voters remain generally optimistic, with more than 6 in 10 saying that America’s best days are in the future, and only about one-third said that they’re already in the past, the CNN poll found.

It said President Joe Biden’s approval rating is sliding nationally with about 4 in 10 voters saying they approve of his job performance and a majority disapproving.

The race between Harris and Trump remained stubbornly deadlocked for weeks with some of the election forecasters giving 60-year-old Vice President Harris an edge over former President Trump, 78, in some of the key battleground states like Pennsylvania.

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