As the US election polls close, we asked people on the ground how they’re really feeling.

It's election day in the US and the countdown is on until the polls close.

More than 80,000 people have returned their ballots already.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump each need at least 270 electoral votes to win — and seven battleground states are expected to hold the keys to victory.

The candidates have been locked in a razor-edge race that's made the entire country tense.

NBC's latest national news poll found Harris and Trump had identical 49 per cent support from registered voters.

We spoke to people on the ground about how they're really feeling ahead of polls closing.

Listen to early voting results show Trump and Harris at a 50/50 split on The Quicky. Post continues below.

One Harris voter in New York said everyone in her life was anxious and in disbelief.

"Our country looks unrecognisable," she told Mamamia. "No one can believe that so many people can be so totally duped by this idiot, racist, misogynistic pig. Yet, I still believe that Harris is going to win.

"I heard a phrase that I really liked which is 'nauseously optimistic'. I just believe that sanity will prevail."

A 46-year-old Harris voter in Washington, DC said it felt like "the calm before the storm".

"Everyone was preparing themselves for a Trump victory about two weeks ago and what that might look like," she said.

"I think there feels like there's a little bit momentum towards [Harris]… it's razor-thin. It flip flops a lot, a fair amount of anxiety."

She told Mamamia she found the "wokeness" of the Democrats hard to take but believed they were the more ethical and conscientious party. She also supported a woman becoming president.

"While we've been able to elect a Black president, it doesn't seem to me that this nation can fully stomach the concept of a woman president, but boy, would I love to be proven wrong," she said.

Another Washington, DC resident, Joe said people were "cautiously optimistic".

In his circles, voters are "hoping for the best but worried about what could happen if Donald Trump were to win again".

"After what happened in DC [in 2020], we are afraid of more violence, if he wins or if he doesn't win."

Joe's not alone in this fear.

More than 250 National Guard personnel are providing election-day support in 15 states, CNN reports. Another 85 members are on standby in other locations.

When asked if he would call on his supporters to ensure no violence if he loses, Trump said he did not need to.

"Of course, there'll be no violence. My supporters are not violent people," he said shortly after voting in Florida on Tuesday.

However, it was Trump's very own supporters who violently stormed the US Capitol to stop President Joe Biden from taking office on January 6, 2021.

Watch: What it's like at a Donald Trump and Kamala Harris rally. Post continues below.

The former president says he feels "very confident" he will win the election and that "it won't even be close".

His running mate JD Vance, on the other hand, said Republicans "could still win or lose this thing".

Many Trump supporters are ready to blame a Trump loss on election fraud and threatened to take up arms if the election results don't "add up".

"If something happens this election and he doesn't win or they don't allow him in the office, I think it's time for everyone to stand up and take action," one voter told ABC, adding that voters should protect their right to bear arms and freedom of speech.

Another Trump supporter said they were worried the Democrats were going to "steal" the election "again".

"We won't stand for it again… There's a lot of people out there with a lot of artillery… We're ready to fight this time," a Trump voter told ABC.

When do election polls close?

Polls will start to close in the US about 10am AEDT, with early results expected to start coming through soon after.

The traditional first tally of election votes in the tiny New Hampshire community of Dixville Notch ended in a tie: three votes for Harris and three for Trump.

All eyes are on the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

By 12am ET (4pm AEDT), polls will have closed in almost 30 states, including pivotal battleground states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina.

Voting will have ceased in all other states by 5pm AEDT.

As for when we'll know the next president, only time will tell.

If the last election is any indication, we may have to wait days for the final call.

Feature image: Getty.