Staying up? Here’s all you need to know about the US election

After each the play of a run similar nary other, predetermination time is astir upon us. It’s been a super-tight contention betwixt Kamala Harris and Donald Trump and much twists and turns are guaranteed aft polls adjacent connected 5 November.

So settee in, and buckle up. Our predetermination nighttime usher includes the cardinal timings and things to ticker retired for arsenic we hold to get a result.

After months of second-guessing what the American nationalist volition decide, we volition present get a glimpse into their thoughts and motivations arsenic the archetypal batch of exit canvass information is released.

Exit polls successful the UK supply a projection of the last effect arsenic soon arsenic polls close, but American ones are precise different. Rather than predicting the result, they springiness an penetration into people’s priorities and opinions  - and later, into however antithetic demographic groups voted. Pollsters harvester election-day interviews with telephone polling some nationally and successful the seven plaything states.

Throughout the night, expect experts to speech a batch astir these states - Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - wherever voting is hard to foretell and tin thin Republican (red) oregon Democrat (blue).

Swing states are thought to clasp the keys to the White House. Both campaigns person been heavy targeting voters successful these battleground areas.

By now, polls volition beryllium closing successful Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia, but these are not plaything states, truthful the results volition beryllium predictable.

But voting volition besides adjacent successful the archetypal plaything authorities of the night, Georgia. Victory for either campaigner could springiness a beardown hint astatine which mode the predetermination could go.

Georgia was lone narrowly won by Joe Biden past time. It besides became the taxable of mendacious claims by Trump, who is accused of criminally conspiring to overturn his 2020 defeat.

The campaigner with much votes than immoderate different successful Georgia volition get 16 important votes retired of 538 nether the electoral assemblage system.

• What is the electoral college, and however does it work?
• Seven plaything states acceptable to determine the predetermination

Harris and Trump some privation to summation a bulk of 270 electoral assemblage votes to triumph the White House. That matters much than the "popular vote" oregon the nationwide enactment they receive.

Soon afterwards, astatine 19:30 EST (00:30 GMT), polls adjacent successful 3 much states including successful North Carolina. Away from the statesmanlike contest, there's been immense involvement successful the authorities politician contention that pits authorities Attorney General Josh Stein against Trump-backed campaigner Mark Robinson, whose run has been deed by scandals.

Polls adjacent astatine the aforesaid clip successful Ohio, wherever Trump's moving mate JD Vance is simply a senator. Meanwhile, the 2 campaigns volition beryllium gathering astatine their office for the evening – which we cognize volition beryllium successful West Palm Beach, Florida, successful Trump’s case.

At this point, immoderate states mightiness commencement to beryllium “called” by US media outlets. They usage models to project, oregon call, which mode a authorities has voted, adjacent earlier the afloat ballot number has been completed.

This happens erstwhile they judge a campaigner has gained a pb that cannot beryllium beaten by their opponent. In immoderate closely-fought plaything states, this could instrumentality a agelong time.

The models the media outlets usage gully connected a assortment of data, specified arsenic exit polls and existent votes counted by officials. The BBC gets this information from a steadfast named Edison Research.

More polls adjacent including, critically, successful Pennsylvania, the biggest prize of the 2024 plaything states with 19 electoral votes. It's besides a authorities that's portion of the Rust Belt - areas erstwhile dominated by manufacturing that person experienced concern diminution successful caller decades.

Here, a fistful of counties, similar Erie and Northampton, could extremity up making a difference.

Around now, astatine 20:30 EST (01:30 GMT), we expect to get much exit canvass information - including a nationalist breakdown of voting by age, race, and level of assemblage education. This is provisional information that's refined implicit a play of weeks.

• What makes Pennsylvania the biggest prize connected the electoral map

Polls adjacent successful much closely-watched battleground states including Michigan and Wisconsin. That’s 02:00 GMT for those successful the UK present burning the midnight oil.

Polls besides unopen in Arizona - a focal constituent for the nation’s migration statement - followed by Nevada, where some parties person tried to entreaty to working-class voters by vowing to extremity taxes connected tips, an hr later.

At 23:00 EDT (04:00 GMT), polls adjacent crossed the remaining states that adjoin each different connected the US mainland. The past 2 states adjacent somewhat aboriginal - Hawaii astatine 00:00 EDT (05:00 GMT) and Alaska astatine 01:00 EDT connected Wednesday (06:00 GMT).

Traditionally, it was soon aft the adjacent of voting astatine 23:00 EDT successful California that the contention arsenic a full was called for 1 campaigner oregon the other. A concession code from the losing campaigner followed not agelong later.

But fewer observers are expecting a speedy solution this year, with immoderate suggesting it could instrumentality days, alternatively than hours, to cognize the victor.

In caller elections, an accrued fig of postal votes has tended to hold the process. And antithetic states person antithetic rules connected erstwhile they commencement tallying them.

A campaigner who takes an aboriginal pb done in-person votes whitethorn extremity up being overtaken erstwhile postal votes and different types of ballots enactment successful driblet boxes are added later. This means aboriginal tallies whitethorn beryllium deceptive.

Despite truthful overmuch absorption connected the presidency, voters volition besides beryllium choosing caller members of Congress, who walk laws and initiate spending plans. All 435 seats successful the House of Representatives are up for election. In the Senate, wherever members ballot connected cardinal appointments successful government, 34 seats are being contested.

Republicans presently power the House, portion Democrats person the Senate.

These 2 chambers tin enactment arsenic a cheque connected White House plans if the controlling enactment successful either enclosure disagrees with the president.

Voters successful Montana, Arizona, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New York and South Dakota volition besides beryllium asked however their authorities should modulate abortion, which has go 1 of the election's astir emotive issues.

• A waitress, a mechanic and a Nascar operator moving for Congress
• The 10 US states with termination questions connected the ballot

If you're inactive up, good done for making it this far, but there's a accidental we'll person to hold a spot longer to find retired who has won. The tighter the race, the much vote-counting that volition request to hap earlier a victor tin beryllium projected successful immoderate fixed place. The afloat nationwide number usually takes days oregon weeks.

To springiness you a flavour – successful 2020, the effect successful Pennsylvania and Nevada was projected 4 days aft predetermination day, and successful Arizona, aft much than a week by astir outlets.

A precise adjacent contention could consciousness similar a repetition of 2020. Or 2024 could beryllium comparable to the twelvemonth 2000, betwixt George W Bush and Al Gore, which was disputed and yet settled successful the US Supreme Court.

The neck-and-neck ballot predicted by the polls and pundits successful 2024 could perchance permission the doorway unfastened to ineligible challenges by either side.

That would marque the nighttime lone the opening of the play – alternatively than the last connection connected the 2024 election.