In the tenth and penultimate instalment in the series, six members of the panel give their final verdict ahead of election day.

Jim Hill: Sudbury, Mass. "Bush proved his leadership when it was needed" Linda Alston: Madison, Wisconsin "John Kerry is the better man for the job" Jorge Caspary: Tallahassee, Florida "Bush's views of the enemy are not as narrow as Kerry's"

Nancy Pew: Seattle, Washington "If the election is fairly administered Kerry will win" Neil Sherman: Germantown, Tenn. "I cast my ballot for George Bush" Gary Webb: Sacramento, C'fornia "I'm voting for John Kerry"

We asked our panellists: Who will you be voting for? Why are you voting for your chosen candidate? How do you think the election will turn out?

Our panel - Where they live Enlarge Map

Will President Bush or Senator Kerry win the key swing states? How will the much-scrutinised vote counting process go this time?

On 3 November, the whole panel will give their reaction to the results.

We also want to hear what you think, so send us your comments using the form after each person's views.

The readers' panel has been selected from as wide a cross-section of people as possible and may not be representative of wider US public opinion.