US presidential election: How do exit polls work?

Voters across America are going to the polls on Tuesday, 5 November, to cast their vote for the 47th president of the United States — either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump.

Once voting closes, election workers will count ballots and data will be released.

Media outlets will then begin to call states in favor of either Ms Harris or Mr Trump on Tuesday evening.

One crucial tool that is used to report on how people voted is exit polls — surveys that ask the public questions such as who they voted for and their political opinions.

Here, The Independent explains everything you need to know about how exit polls work and what they tell us about the election.