Fewer than half of voters who cast presidential ballots on Tuesday say they made their choice out of a strong preference for their candidate.
Preliminary results of the exit poll, conducted for The Associated Press and television networks by Edison Research, found both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton are viewed unfavourably by a majority of the presidential electorate.
And a majority of the electorate also distrusts each of them.
Six of 10 voters say they are somewhat bothered or bothered a lot by Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state.
And more than seven out of 10 presidential voters say they are irked by Trump's treatment of women.
A third of voters said they have reservations about the candidate they backed, while a quarter of voters say their vote was mostly about opposing another candidate.
Meanwhile, seven out of 10 Americans going to the polls Tuesday say they think immigrants now in the country illegally should be allowed to stay. Just a quarter say they should be deported.
While more than half say they oppose building a wall along the Mexican border to stop illegal immigration - as proposed by Trump.
Most voters going to the polls Tuesday have a pessimistic view of the US economy.
But that economic unhappiness isn't as high as it was in 2012, when three-quarters called the economy not so good or poor.
More than half of voters say the economy is the most important issue facing the country, over terrorism, foreign policy and immigration.
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