AFTER a slugfest campaign that intensified through the year, US President George W Bush, voting in Texas, said “I’ve given it my all,” while John Kerry, campaigning in Wisconsin, promised to take the nation “to a better place”.

VOTERS trying to beat the US election day rush turned out early in such large numbers in many precincts that they created their own crowds, standing in long lines that snaked down the street, sometimes before the polling places even opened.

In an election that could rival the photo finish of 2000, US voters were today choosing between President George Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry.

The first presidential election since the United States plunged into its war on terrorism was finally handed over to voters today.