The result of the upcoming United States presidential election will send shockwaves around the globe, no matter who wins.
As one of our major allies, the result of any US election is always going to impact Australia.
But the stark differences between Donald Trump and Joe Biden on issues such as climate change, trade, race relations and right-wing extremism mean this election matters for Australia more than most.
SBS will be bringing you live coverage as this crucial election unfolds. Here's how you can tune in.
What times do poll close in the US?
The voting opening and closing times vary from state to state. The earliest polls open at 6am local time - which is roughly 10pm AEDT on Tuesday 3 November - and the latest poll closes at 4pm AEDT on Wednesday 4 November.
Will there be a live stream of the US election?
Yes. You can watch live video as votes are tallied on the SBS News website and app from Wednesday 11am (AEDT) until 6.20pm (AEDT). SBS will be streaming coverage from our partners, ABC World News America, with all the latest analysis and commentary direct from the United States.
What if I don’t want to watch the whole day?
We will also live stream breaking news as the results come in - including speeches from Donald Trump and Joe Biden - on SBS News Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Just make sure you’ve turned on your social media notifications so you don’t miss the major moments.
What will be the key states to watch?
There are at least 15 swing states to keep an eye on during this election, as the winners in these states generally decide who the president is.
A swing state is a state where the Democrats and Republicans have similar levels of support among voters, and have historically swung between the two parties.
Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin will be crucial - these three states swung the last presidential election, with Mr Trump having bagged them by less than 80,000 combined votes in 2016.
Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio and Iowa will also be interesting to watch, as the polls from these Republican-leaning states have shown a slight shift towards the Democrats.
Florida is historically critical - the swing state has the third-largest number of electoral votes, and has long been considered predictive for which way the result would swing.
When will we know who the winner is?
It’s difficult to predict.
During the 2016 election, we had the result just before 11pm ET (3pm AEDT).
But this election is different. There’s been a much higher number of early voters, and people voting by mail due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Experts are anticipating a historic turnout on the day, but even then, social distancing measures will likely see it taking longer to vote.
Depending on voting trends, the election may well be called on Wednesday night (AEDT). But experts say if Mr Trump and Mr Biden are neck-and-neck in swing states, we may not have a winner for weeks.
Why should I care who wins?
The US election has more global and economic significance than any other country’s.
The US remains the world’s largest economy and sits at the centre of global finance.
The result will have several global implications, including for us here in Australia. The US has been our most important strategic ally since the end of World War II, and is one of our most important trading partners.
But how each presidential candidate tackles its domestic and global policies will also affect us.
Concerns about climate change, for example, are intensifying in Australia, with a recent report by The Australia Institute finding almost three-quarters of Australians think Australia needs to become a world leader on climate action.
Mr Biden and Mr Trump have opposing policies on climate action, with the US on track to leave the Paris agreement under Mr Trump - which Australia is apart of - while Mr Biden has pledged to put it back in.
What else is there to know?
The SBS News team has been covering the US election at length. Here are some features and explainers that can help bring you up to speed before election day.
