It's Election Day. Here's the news that you'll want to know:

(1) final polls from battleground states show a close race -- several states with "razor-thin" margins between President Trump and Biden

(2) American cities and businesses boarding up in preparation for election-related unrest, while the National Guard has been activated in at least 10 states

(3) more than 100 million Americans -- 47% of all registered voters -- voted before the polls opened today

Final polls from battleground states show a close race -- several states with "razor-thin" margins.

"On the morning of the election, Biden is favored in 7 of the 12 battleground states, while Trump leads in 5. The gaps in the 7 states Trump needs to win to secure the presidency, the margins are razor-thin, less than 2 points. Trump has seen improvement in the last two weeks in 10 of the 12 battleground states (AZ, GA, FL, IA, MI, MN, NV, OH, NC and PA), while he has lost ground in two (TX and WI)." (Daily Wire)

Polling from battleground states

• We are still hours away from when the polls close -- and potentially days away from knowing the results for all states. But that hasn't stopped speculation about who will win the presidential election today. Adding to the uncertainty are both the increase in early voting due to COVID-19 and the lingering memories of just how wrong most polls were in 2016.

• A final review of polls in the battleground states that will likely decide the results shows President Trump leading in five states, Joe Biden leading in seven states, and generally a "razor-thin" margin between the two.

• Here's an extensive breakdown of six important states to watch: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

What to look for tonight

• Social media companies have implemented new policies to handle posts announcing a winner. Twitter will label tweets that declare a winner before one of the seven media outlets it has designated has officially called the race, either in a specific state or nationally.

• Here's a breakdown of when states count their mail-in ballots. Some states have already started; others wait until the polls close today. It's highly likely that state winners won't be announced as quickly as previous years to allow the high number of mail-in ballots this year to be fully counted. 

• Both campaigns have shown readiness to turn to legal challenges after Election Day.

What the candidates are doing today

• President Trump is at the White House today, though he will reportedly visit his campaign's national headquarters in the D.C. area today.

This evening, President Trump will host an "election night viewing party" at the White House.

• Joe Biden started and will end the day in Delaware. Biden attended mass this morning and then visited the grave of his son Beau, who tragically passed away in 2015.

He will spend the day at Pennsylvania campaign events before returning to Wilmington, Delaware this evening. Kamala Harris will meet him there.

American cities and businesses boarding up in preparation for election-related unrest, while the National Guard has been activated in at least 10 states.

"Plywood boards now cover blocks of storefronts in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and elsewhere, as some business owners worry the election could stoke another wave of civil unrest that strained the country this summer. Business associations and local police are coordinating safety strategies with retailers to prepare for violent protests. (Washington Free Beacon)

• Rich Lowry wrote about this in the New York Post. From his piece, titled "All that plywood tells you the real post-election fear is pro-Biden rioting": "But the election shouldn’t be taking place under the implicit threat of violence if it goes the 'wrong way.' This is not how a great republic is supposed to work, and perhaps one day there will be a universal consensus about that again. For now, though, to paraphrase the old song, it’s praise the Lord and pass the plywood."

• Businesses in major cities including Chicago, DC, Los Angeles, and New York City have boarded up ahead of Election Day. Beverly Hills, California also temporarily closed its famous Rodeo Drive, a shopping destination composed overwhelmingly of luxury stores.

• Here's a photo essay -- 18 photos in all -- of what the business closures look like across America.

• The National Guard has been activated in 10 states.

More than 100 million Americans -- 47% of all registered voters -- voted before the polls opened today.

"Even before polls opened on Tuesday, 100.2 million Americans had already voted. The figure represents more than 47% of registered voters in the U.S., according to a survey of election officials by CNN, Edison Research, and Catalist. And it represents about 73%  of the more than 136.5 million ballots cast in 2016." (Newsmax)

• More than 100 million Americans voted before polls opened this morning. The large increase in early voting is no surprise given the changes this year due to COVID.

• More than half of all registered voters in 21 states have voted already.

• Professor Michael McDonald of the University of Florida predicts that at least 150 million Americans will vote this year, according to NPR. That would be a voter turnout rate of 65%, the highest in America since 1908.