Marine Le Pen announced she is temporarily stepping down as leader of the National Front

UPDATE April 24, 2:59 p.m. EST: 

Marine Le Pen announced Monday that she will be temporarily stepping down as the head of the National Front party. 

UPDATE 2:46 p.m. EST: The campaigning has already begun.

Regardless of who wins, the race is already historic thanks to who did not make the cut.

UPDATE 2:16 p.m. EST:

With no presidential candidates claiming a majority, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen will face off against Emmanuel Macron in a runoff election May 7, according to exit polls. 

Macron, a former economic minister in France's socialist government, is a newcomer to the race, running with a political party that is only months old. Le Pen's anti-immigrant platform has resonated with many French voters.

UPDATE  10:07 a.m. EST: President Trump called the election "very interesting."

The New York Daily News reported Saturday that a bomb threat at the French Consulate in New York was a false alarm. However, it prompted an evacuation as votes for expatriates were being collected. Voters continued to show up and vote. 

ORIGINAL STORY: France's presidential election is underway, and the world is watching. With far-right candidate Marine Le Pen drawing many headlines, many expect widespread ramifications if she wins. However, there are 11 candidates on today's ballot, so it's unlikely that any will win an outright majority. A second round of voting is likely next month.

The recent terrorist attack in France may affect voters' decisions. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on Thursday.

Le Pen has run on an anti-immigration platform, promising to put a moratorium even on legal immigration if she wins. She has also vowed to make France exit leave the European Union, CNN reports.

On the other end of the political spectrum is the far-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon, dubbed the "French Bernie Sanders." He wants minimum wage increases and tougher taxes on the rich. 

Then there's centrist Emmanuel Macron, a relative newcomer to the race. His political party, En Marche!, didn't even exist until September. But early polls suggest he's a strong contender.

Francois Fillon is the most traditional conservative candidate, frequently drawing comparisons to iconic British leader Margaret Thatcher. But a scandal involving his family members they didn't actually do derailed his early lead.

WATCH | Here's a look at the polling places so far.

The Telegraph reports Le Pen led the race as the polls open, but Macron has surged since. If no candidate wins a majority, the top two will progress to a runoff. Experts predict those two will be Le Pen and Macron.

Many observers predict if Le Pen wins, the European Union may collapse, since the bloc would be devastated by two of its biggest members leaving now that Brexit is underway. Early polls showed one in three French voters were still undecided just days before the vote. 

After a hostile campaign and the recent attacks, security measures have been ramped up at polling places. About 50,000 police officers and 7,000 soldiers have been deployed nationwide, The Telegraph reports.

President Trump warned the terrorist attack would  have a "big effect" on the race.