The victor of one of the nastiest presidential campaigns in US history will set the moral tone of the country for decades to come.
Presidents like their values to live on well beyond their term in office, and one of the main ways they are able to do this is by ensuring those values are shared by those who interpret the law.
Nowhere is this more evident than in who they choose to nominate to serve on the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court's decisions can - and do - have a profound impact on the direction of the nation, particularly on social matters.
:: In the 1954 case of Brown v Board of Education it was the Supreme Court - not the president or Congress - which banned racially segregated schools and colleges.
:: In the 1973 case of Roe v Wade it was the Supreme Court - not the president or Congress - which guarantee a woman's right to have an abortion.
:: In the 2015 case of Obergefell v Hodges it was the Supreme Court - not the president or Congress - which effectively legalised gay marriage across all 50 states.
In the decades ahead it will be the Supreme Court - and not the president or Congress - which ultimately rules on the route America must take on other emotive issues like the death penalty and gun control.
Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will have more opportunity to influence the make up of the Supreme Court than any president in recent history.
Even the longest serving presidents usually only get to appoint one or two Supreme Court justices. The next president may get to nominate three or four.
There are usually nine Supreme Court justices - and there is already one vacancy which the next president will have to fill.
In February 2016 Justice Antonin Scalia - one of the court's most conservative members - died in office. He was 79 - and had served on the court since his appointment by President Reagan in 1986.
Although President Obama has nominated a moderate - Merrick Garland - as a potential replacement, the Republican controlled-Senate has so far refused to consider the nomination saying it should be left to the next president instead.
In addition to the vacancy left by Justice Scalia's death, the next president may find themselves with additional vacancies to fill as a number of justices may soon have to consider retirement.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg is 83. She is a liberal voice on the court - and was appointed in 1993 by President Bill Clinton during his first year in office.
Anthony Kennedy, who is 80, is currently the longest serving justice. He was appointed by President Reagan in 1988 - and is often the court's 'swing-vote'.
Stephen Breyer, another liberal voice who was also appointed by Bill Clinton, is 78. Clarence Thomas - a more conservative figure - was appointed by the first President Bush and turns 69 next year.
It is far from impossible, in fact it is quite likely, that some of them may choose to stand down within the next four years.
If their replacements are predominantly liberal that will lead to a very different America 50 years from now than it will if they are all conservatives.
What happens on 8 November won't just affect the country for the next four years. It's implications will be felt for decades to come.
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