US election: Huge turnout, Trump says 'losing is never easy'

Americans headed to the polls on Tuesday in the knowledge that more than 100 million US citizens had already voted, with observers anticipating a record turnout as a result.

The US Elections Project said the number of people who had already voted via mail-in ballots, early in-person voting, drive-through polls and other means represented 73% of the turnout of the 2016 presidential election.

US President Donald Trump, who until now had expressed skepticism over the validity of delayed counts from mail-in votes, struck a more conciliatory tone as he thanked his campaign team for their efforts in Arlington, Virginia.

Read more: US election live updates: America decides between Trump and Biden

"I think we're going to have a great night, but it's politics and it's elections and you never know,'' Trump said. "Winning is easy. Losing is never easy ... not for me it's not,'' Trump told campaign workers.

Biden in last-minute plea to vote

Trump's opposite number, Joe Biden, meanwhile, spent part of the day in Pennsylvania, one of the swing states that is likely to be crucial in deciding the outcome of the hotly contested election.

"We choose hope over fear, we choose truth over lies, we choose science over fiction," the former vice president told the crowd.

Biden later on Tuesday made a plea to last-minute potential voters to go to their nearest polling station. He tweeted: "Today is your absolute last chance to vote in this election. If you haven’t voted early, I need you to vote today and stay in line as long as it takes. Our democracy is at stake."

jsi/aw (AP, dpa)