Alabama Senate election – live updates: Roy Moore asks people who believe child abuse claims 'don't vote for me'
Alabama heads to the polls on Tuesday for a special election that pits Democrat Doug Jones against Roy Moore, a Republican candidate dogged by sexual misconduct allegations.
The race is neck-and-neck despite the state's strong conservative leanings, with Mr Moore denying the claims of eight women who say he harassed them when they were in their teens.
And speaking at a rally on the eve of the election last night, Mr Moore told supporters: "If you don't believe in my character, don't vote for me." Many of his followers simply don't believe the abuse allegations or say they have been blown out of proportion, and he retains the support of the Republican party and the President, Donald Trump.
But at his own rally on Monday night Mr Jones said the election was a referendum on "who we are and what we're going to tell our daughters". He was joined by basketball star Charles Barkley, who said it was "amazing" Mr Moore was still in the race and the state risked "looking like idiots to the nation".
Mr Jones, for his own part, has been attacked as a liberal who would not properly represent a state that hasn't elected a Democrat senator for 30 years.
Mr Jones acknowledged in Montgomery: "Look, I'm not going to be the senator that everybody in the state can agree with 100 per cent of the time." But he added: "They'll know I'm somebody that will sit down with them. I will learn from them. ... I will try to be the public servant I think a US senator ought to be."
Follow the latest live updates on the special election below
Tuesday's vote is being held to find a replacement for Jeff Sessions, who was selected as Attorney General by Donald Trump.
Polls open at 8am EST (1pm GMT) and close at 8pm EST. The first exit poll data will start coming in at 5pm EST.
