The US presidential election results are usually announced within hours of polls closing. However, with the tight race between Republican Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris this year, the results may take longer, BBC reported.
When will the 2024 US presidential election results be available?
In some US presidential elections, the winner is announced late on Election Day or early the next morning. This year, the election is so closely contested in many states that media outlets may have to wait longer before predicting whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris will win.
Incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party and former President Donald Trump of the Republican Party have been in a fierce race for weeks.
Winning by a small margin can also trigger a recount. For example, in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania, a statewide recount is required if there is a difference of 0.5% between the votes cast for the winner and the loser. In 2020, the difference in that state was just over 1.1%.
Legal challenges are also possible. More than 100 lawsuits have been filed ahead of the 2024 US election, including complaints about voting eligibility and voter roll management, brought by Republicans.
Other scenarios that could affect the timing of the 2024 US presidential election results include any election-related disruptions, especially at polling places.
On the other hand, vote counting is being sped up in some areas, including key states like Michigan, and there will be far fewer mail-in ballots than in the 2020 election.
When were the previous US presidential election results announced?
The 2020 US presidential election took place on Tuesday, November 3. However, it was not until Saturday, November 7, that the US media declared Mr. Joe Biden the winner after the results in Pennsylvania became clearer.
In other recent US elections, voters waited much less time for results.
In 2016, when Donald Trump won the US presidential election, he was declared the winner at 3:00 a.m. EST the day after the election.
In 2012, when Barack Obama won his second term in the White House, his victory was predicted before election day.
Important states to watch
Across the United States, the first polling stations will close at 6:00 p.m. EST on November 5 (6:00 a.m. November 6, Vietnam time) and the last polling stations will close at 1:00 a.m. EST on November 6 (1:00 p.m. the same day, Vietnam time).
The 2024 US presidential election is expected to depend on the results from seven battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
7:00 p.m. EST on November 5 (7:00 a.m. November 6, Vietnam time) - Polls close in Georgia and five other states, and are partially closed in two others. This is also the time when US television networks are likely to begin announcing the first predicted results of the night, in less competitive states like Kentucky.
7:30 p.m. EST - Polls close in three states, including North Carolina. With early results from North Carolina and Georgia, a picture of which candidate is doing better may begin to emerge, but it's still too early to tell if any trends are forming nationwide.
8:00 p.m. EST (8:00 a.m. Vietnam time) - Voting ends in Pennsylvania, 15 other states and Washington DC, as well as partially in Michigan and four other states. Georgia's top election official estimates that about 75% of the votes will be counted by then.
9 p.m. EST - Voting ends in Arizona, Wisconsin and 12 other states. All remaining polling ends in Michigan. Michigan allows officials to begin counting ballots a week before Election Day, but does not release results until after Election Day voting ends. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin do not allow counting to begin until after in-person voting begins, leading to expected delays in results from those states.
10:00 p.m. EST (10:00 a.m., November 6, Vietnam time) - Polls are closed across Nevada and two other states, and partially closed in two other states. Ballots in Nevada may need to be counted for days because the state allows mail-in ballots to be counted as long as they are mailed on Election Day and arrive by November 9.
Some absentee and mail-in ballots, including those cast by military personnel and Americans living overseas, are typically among the last votes counted.
