What time US election polls close UK time - mapped

The US presidential election is underway with tens of millions of people set to cast their votes.

The election is being watched closely across the world with the result expected to have implications on global events. On the ticket is current vice-president, and Democrat candidate, Kamala Harris and Republican and former president Donald Trump.

Harris is vying to become the first woman, first black woman and first person of South Asian descent to reach the Oval Office. Meanwhile, a Trump victory would make him the first incoming president to have been indicted and convicted of a felony, after his hush-money trial in New York.

READ MORE: Follow the latest news and updates on the US election

Nearly 80 million people had already cast their vote ahead of Tuesday - but millions are still expected to attend polling stations before polls close in the evening.

A total of 270 electoral votes are needed to win the election. Each state is allotted a number of electoral votes which are based roughly on the size of its population.

Whoever wins the popular vote in a state also wins all of that state’s electoral votes.

Due to the different laws depending on the state, and the fact the US spans across several time zones, there is no set time when polling stations will close.

Instead, they will close at various times over the course of the evening - and early morning UK time. The map below shows when you can expect polls to close across the US, UK time.