AMERICANS turned out in droves yesterday - some queuing for hours - to vote in one of the closest and most bitterly contested elections in history.

A record turnout was expected as voters decided whether to re-elect George Bush or replace him with Democrat John Kerry.

Mr Bush was the first of the two candidates to vote, casting his ballot at a fire station near his ranch in Crawford, in his home state of Texas.

"I've given it my all," said Mr Bush, who was accompanied by his wife, Laura, and daughters, Barbara and Jenna.

"This election is in the hands of the people, and I feel very comfortable about that."

Referring to his opponent, he said: "I wish him all the best. He and I are in the exact same position.

"I'm sure he's happy, like I am, that the campaign is over."

Mr Bush then travelled to the key swing state of Ohio for last-minute campaigning before heading to the White House to await the outcome.

Mr Kerry, in Wisconsin, also took part in some election day campaigning.

Speaking in La Crosse, the Massachusetts senator urged his supporters to "get the job done".

He said: "We're going to take America to a better place. Together we are going to put common sense and truth back into the decisions of this nation."

Senator Kerry was expected to vote in Boston before returning to his Massachusetts home with his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry.

The key to victory will be winning the vote in fewer than a dozen crucial swing states, including the big three - Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

It is in those three states, and others including Wisconsin and Michigan, that the candidates concentrated their final days of campaigning.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of volunteers worked feverishly to mobilise their party base and get them to the polls.

Their efforts payed off, with some election officials reporting huge turnouts.

As is tradition, the people of the tiny New Hampshire hamlet of Dixville Notch cast the first ballots immediately after midnight.

The 26 registered voters backed Mr Bush by a comfortable 19-7 margin over Senator Kerry.

Last time around, in 2000, 21 Dixville Notch voters backed Mr Bush while five voted for Democrat Al Gore.

The most valuable voters are those who live in the swing states and are undecided.

In a final Gallup poll for CNN and the newspaper USA Today, both candidates were tied at 49 per cent.

In the swing states, many of the individual polls were contradictory.

A combined poll of the states found that Senator Kerry had a five-point lead.

Based on previous elections, Gallup estimates that nine out of ten undecided voters will back Senator Kerry. Other pollsters believe the figure is lower.

The poll also found that the President's job-approval rating has slipped to 48 per cent.

Having an approval rating of 50 per cent or above is considered crucial for a president seeking re-election