For those abroad, it has already been decided – the disapora can only watch from afar, urging their friends and political bedfellows to get out and support the candidate for whom they have already sent off a postal vote.

Although the result will affect the whole world, and millions across the globe will be watching to see what happens, the election night itself belongs to US citizens who have voted.

In the evening various bars across Germany will fill with Americans anxious to see in which direction their country is going to jump.

Will President Barack Obama’s supporters forgive him the changes he has not managed to undertake and the missteps of his first term and turn out in enough number to give him another chance?

Or will Mitt Romney manage to unseat him with his promises to use the experience he gained as a business manager to “fix the economy”?

Click here to see what Americans in Germany told The Local.

For many it is a matter of fundamental political principle which will affect their emotional attachment to their country. Commentators suggest this is the most polarised the US has ever been, with the partisan divide more tribal and more rabid.

The Local hit the streets in Berlin to get a taste of what Americans living in the German capital had to say about Tuesday’s election.

We also found a fabulous visual representation of some of the statistics surrounding the election – created by a couple of German artists using burgers, fries, ketchup and mustard.

Click here to see figures in fast food.

The Local/jcw/hc