Four hours into the US election counting, Republican candidate Donald Trump has surged ahead of his Democrat opponent Kamala Harris in six out of seven swing states that hold the key to the White House. North Carolina has been called in favor of Trump and he is also ahead in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Georgia. Leads are not yet in for the swing state of Nevada.

Also known as battleground states, swing states hold the key to victory in the US election. These states have a nearly equal level of support for the Democrats and Republicans, and the election is won and lost in these states. This year, the swing states are Pennsylvania, with 19 electoral college votes, Michigan (10), Georgia (16), Wisconsin (10), North Carolina (16), Nevada (6) and Arizona (11).

Both the former President and the incumbent vice-president are pushing for the magic figure of 270 electoral college votes that will pave the way to the Oval Office in the White House. According to the current trends, Trump is leading with 230 votes, while Harris is at 210.

According to exit polls, the state of democracy, economy and abortion were the key issues on voters' minds when they headed to poll booths. A CBS News poll revealed that almost six in 10 people ranked the state of democracy as their number one issue, followed by abortion, which was picked by five per cent of voters as an important issue. The economy was a priority issue for one in ten.

A CNN exit poll said nearly three-quarters of the electorate holds a negative view of the way things are in the US today.