On November 5, American citizens cast their ballots to select the country’s next president.
Although the results of US elections have occasionally been announced within hours after the polls close, the close race this year may need a longer wait.
When can we expect the outcome of the 2024 presidential election?
In several presidential contests, the winner is announced either late on election night or early the following day. Because of the close contest in many states, media outlets may have to wait longer to announce the winner this time.
For weeks, Republican former president Donald Trump and Democrat current vice president Kamala Harris have been in a close race.
Recounts may sometimes result from narrow victories. For instance, in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state, a statewide recount would be necessary if the winner and loser’s votes differed by half a percentage point. The difference was little more than 1.1 percentage points in 2020.
There may potentially be legal challenges. Republicans have already filed more than 100 pre-election lawsuits, challenging voter eligibility and voter roll management.
Any election-related chaos, especially at polling places, is another scenario that may cause delays.
However, compared to the last election, which took place during the Covid epidemic, significantly fewer votes will be sent in by mail, and vote-counting has accelerated in several places, such as the vital state of Michigan.
When were the results of the last presidential election made public?
The election for 2020 was held on Tuesday, November 3. But it wasn’t until late on Saturday, November 7, after the Pennsylvania outcome was more certain, that US television networks announced Joe Biden as the victor.
Voters have had to wait a lot less time in other recent elections.
Trump was proclaimed the victor of the 2016 presidential election just before 03:00 EST (08:00 GMT) on the following day.
Barack Obama was predicted to win a second term in 2012 before the polls closed at midnight.
The election between George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000, however, was a noteworthy exception.
The election took place on November 7th, but it wasn’t until December 12th that the outcome was decided since the two campaigns were at odds over a close contest in Florida. Bush was declared the winner and given the White House when the US Supreme Court decided to stop the state’s recount.
Which states should we keep an eye on in 2024?
The first polls will close nationwide on Tuesday night at 18:00 EST (23:00 GMT), while the last polls will conclude early on Wednesday at 1:00 EST (06:00 GMT).
However, the outcome of the seven swing states is anticipated to determine the outcome of this race, and experts think that either Trump or Harris might win. These states are North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia.
Polls shut in Georgia, five other states, and partially in two more states at 19:00 EST (00:00 GMT). In less contested states like Kentucky, US TV networks are also expected to start making their first calls of the evening around this time.
Polls close in North Carolina and three other states at 19:30 EST (00:30 GMT). It will still be too early to see any trends emerging nationwide, but based on the preliminary data from North Carolina and Georgia, a picture of which candidate is doing better may begin to take shape.
Polls close in Pennsylvania, 15 other states, the District of Columbia, and in part Michigan and four other states at 20:00 EST (01:00 GMT). By then, almost 75% of the ballots would have been counted, according to Georgia’s senior election official.
Voting in Arizona, Wisconsin, and twelve other states closes at 21:00 EST (02:00 GMT). In Michigan, all remaining polls shut. One week prior to election day, Michigan officials are permitted to start counting ballots, but they are not permitted to make the results public until these polls close. Results from
Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, on the other hand, are anticipated to be delayed since those states do not permit vote counting to start until the start of in-person voting.
Polls close in Nevada, two other states, and partially in two more states at 22:00 EST (03:00 GMT).
