Washington: With just a few hours left, all eyes are set on the much-awaited US elections 2024 day – November 5 to elect the next president. Over 77 million people have already participated in the early voting to choose their next premier, the Associated Press reported. The final votes will be cast on Tuesday (November 5) before the polls close.
The race between Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her Republican rival Doanld Trump has been unprecedented, full of political rivalry, drama, tragedy and a historically razor-tight contest. Overall, it has been a roller coaster ride for 60-year-old Harris and 78-year-old Trump.
The race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump remains extremely tight in seven key swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
In general, the counting of votes for the presidential race begins as soon as the voting ends in all states. However, some states might face challenges as each state follows its own rules and practices for counting ballots, which could delay the results. There could be instances where the “projected” winner is declared in one state while the voting continues in another. The official president is not declared until electoral votes are taken into account.
US Elections 2024 Results: When Do Polls Open?
There is no set national time for voting to begin in the US on November 5. While most states will begin voting at 7 am as per the local time, some might start as early as 5 am or as late as 10 am depending on the time zones. The US follows four main time zones Eastern Time (ET), Central (CT), Mountain (MT), and Pacific Standard Time (PT).
Voting will commence in states as decided by different counties or municipalities.
US Elections 2024 Results: When Do Polls Close?
The first polls across the US will close at 06:00 pm EST on Tuesday (4:30 am IST) and the last polls will close at 01:00 am Wednesday (06:00 am GMT or 11:30 am IST). Here’s a tentative timeline of different swing states:
07:00 pm EST (05:30 am IST Wednesday)– Polls in Georgia and five other states and partially in two more states are likely to close at 07:00 pm EST, as per BBC. Furthermore, as per the US-based media by this time US TV networks may begin declaring winner in less competitive states like Kentucky.
07:30 pm EST (06:00 am IST Wednesday)– Polls in three states including North Carolina are likely to close.
08:00 pm EST (6:30 am IST Wednesday)– In the US’s most important state during the elections, the poling might close at around this time and may also end in 15 other states and the District of Columbia, as well as partially in Michigan and four other states.
09:00 pm EST (7:30 am IST Wednesday)– All remaining polls might end in Michigan. Voting will also end in Arizona, Wisconsin and 12 other states.
10:00 pm EST (8:00 am IST Wednesday)– Polls will close across Nevada and two other states, and partially in two others.
US Elections 2024 Results: When Will the Winner be Announced?
It’s uncertain how long it will take to announce the final winner this time. A result could be declared on election night, the following morning, or possibly after days or even weeks.
Although, after a winner of a US presidential election is announced, it doesn’t mean the person is officially elected. The candidate isn’t considered the president-elect until the electoral votes are formally cast and counted.
The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors, and a candidate must secure at least 270 electoral votes to win. This is known as the “electoral vote,” and when the citizens cast their vote on Election Day is referred to as the “popular vote.”
In the 2020 election, voting occurred on November 3, but US TV networks didn’t declare Joe Biden the winner until the late morning of November 7. Even then, The Associated Press waited another 10 days to call North Carolina for Trump, and Georgia wasn’t officially decided for Biden until 16 days after the election, following a hand recount.
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