Harris has marginal 3-point lead over Trump in latest poll

Given the tight race, candidates' efforts to ensure supporters vote may decide winner

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WASHINGTON - Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris held a marginal 3-percentage-point lead over Republican Donald Trump - 45 per cent to 42 per cent - as the two stayed locked in a tight race to win the Nov 5 US presidential election, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

While the gap between the two remained steady compared with a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted a week earlier, the new poll, which closed on Oct 13, gave signs that voters - particularly Democrats - might be more enthused about this year's election than they were ahead of the November 2020 presidential election when Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump.

Some 78 per cent of registered voters in the three-day poll - including 86 per cent of Democrats and 81 per cent of Republicans - said they were "completely certain" they would cast a ballot in the presidential election.

The share of sure-to-vote poll respondents was up from 74 per cent in a Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted from Oct 23 to 27 in 2020, when 74 per cent of Democrats and 79 per cent of Republicans said they were certain to cast ballots.

The poll had a margin of error of around 4 percentage points.