3 weeks ago
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BBC
Americans are voting for their adjacent president successful a wide predetermination that culminates connected Tuesday 5 November.
Once polls close, depending connected however adjacent the contention is, it is imaginable a victor volition not beryllium projected for respective hours, days oregon adjacent weeks. Here's what you request to know.
When is the 2024 statesmanlike predetermination effect expected?
Democrat Kamala Harris, the existent vice-president, and Republican Donald Trump, the erstwhile president, person been moving neck-and-neck for weeks.
National and plaything authorities polls person tightened arsenic 5 November draws closer, truthful determination could beryllium precise constrictive margins of triumph successful respective places, which whitethorn necessitate votes to beryllium recounted.
It is besides imaginable that immoderate results whitethorn travel successful much dilatory this twelvemonth owed to changes successful however idiosyncratic states - including each 7 plaything states that volition yet determine the contention - person administered their elections since 2020.
On the different hand, vote-counting has been sped up successful places similar Michigan, and acold less votes volition beryllium formed by message this clip than successful the past election, which was held during the Covid pandemic.
This means determination are a fig of imaginable outcomes - a victor declared connected predetermination night, the adjacent greeting oregon perchance days oregon weeks later.
When did we get the 2020 statesmanlike predetermination result?
The 2020 predetermination took spot connected Tuesday 3 November, but US TV networks did not state Joe Biden the victor until precocious greeting connected Saturday 7 November.
As Americans went to furniture connected predetermination night, Trump supporters felt assured triumph was adjacent but, successful fact, some candidates were wrong scope of the 270 electoral assemblage votes needed to go president-elect.
Though the immense bulk of states called their races wrong a 24-hour period, a fistful of cardinal states - including Pennsylvania and Nevada - did not.
Pennsylvania, with its 19 electoral votes, had nevertheless been trending toward the Democrats. On Saturday morning, a caller batch of ballots counted from the battleground authorities gave networks the assurance to task that Biden would triumph there.
CNN was the archetypal to denote the result, with each different TV web pursuing suit implicit the adjacent 15 minutes.
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When are statesmanlike predetermination results usually announced?
Generally, voters person go utilized to the thought that they volition cognize who the adjacent president is going to beryllium by the clip they spell to furniture precocious connected predetermination nighttime oregon astatine slightest successful the aboriginal greeting hours of the adjacent day.
In 2016, for example, erstwhile Trump archetypal won the presidency, helium was declared the victor soon earlier 03:00 EST (08:00 GMT) the time aft the election.
In 2012, erstwhile Barack Obama secured a 2nd term, his triumph was projected earlier midnight connected polling time itself.
But 1 notable caller objection was the 2000 predetermination betwixt George W Bush and Al Gore.
The 2 campaigns went to warfare implicit a choky contention successful Florida, and the contention was not decided until 12 December erstwhile the US Supreme Court voted to extremity the state's recount process, keeping Bush successful spot arsenic the certified victor and frankincense handing him the keys to the White House.
What are the cardinal states to watch?
Across the country, the archetypal polls volition adjacent astatine 1800 EST (2200 GMT) connected Tuesday evening and the past polls volition adjacent astatine 0100 EST (0500 GMT) aboriginal connected Wednesday.
But this contention is expected to travel down to results from the 7 plaything states - Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
1900 EST (2300 GMT) - Polls adjacent successful Georgia and 5 different states, and partially successful 2 much states. This is besides erstwhile US TV networks are apt to statesman making their archetypal calls of the night, successful little competitory states similar Kentucky.
1930 EST (2330 GMT) - Polls adjacent crossed 3 states, including North Carolina, wherever Harris is hoping to extremity a drawstring of losses for Democratic statesmanlike candidates since 2008.
2000 EST (0000 GMT) - Polls adjacent successful Pennsylvania, 15 different states and the District of Columbia, arsenic good arsenic partially successful Michigan and 4 different states.
2100 EST (0100 GMT) - All remaining polls adjacent successful Michigan. Voting volition besides extremity successful Arizona, Wisconsin and 12 different states.
2200 EST (0200 GMT) - Polls adjacent crossed Nevada and 2 different states, and partially successful 2 others.
How does the vote-counting work?
Typically, the votes formed connected predetermination time are tallied first, followed by aboriginal and message ballots, those that person been challenged, and past overseas and subject ballots.
Local predetermination officials - sometimes appointed, sometimes elected - verify, process and number idiosyncratic votes, successful a process known arsenic canvassing.
Verifying ballots includes comparing the fig formed with the fig of progressive voters; removing, unfolding and examining each azygous ballot for tears, stains oregon different damage; and documenting and investigating immoderate inconsistencies.
Counting ballots involves feeding each 1 into physics scanners that tabulate their results. Some circumstances necessitate manual counts oregon double-checked tallies.
Every authorities and locality has rigorous rules which specify who tin enactment successful the canvass, the bid successful which votes are processed and which parts are unfastened to the public, including however partisan observers tin show and intervene successful vote-counting.
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What could hold the statesmanlike predetermination result?
Tight margins volition compel media outlets to hold longer earlier making their projections, but they besides rise the spectre of recounts and ineligible challenges.
In Pennsylvania, for example, an automatic state-wide recount goes into effect if there’s a half-percentage constituent quality betwixt the votes formed for the victor and the loser. In 2020, the borderline was conscionable implicit 1.1 percent points.
More than 100 pre-election lawsuits person already been filed crossed the country, including challenges to elector eligibility and elector rotation absorption by Republicans. Ongoing tribunal rulings successful these cases person been shaping this contention by the day.
Other scenarios that could origin delays see immoderate instances of election-related disorder, peculiarly astatine polling locations, and obstacles to vote-counting, similar the bursting of a h2o tube astatine a ballot processing tract successful Georgia successful 2020.
What happens if the statesmanlike predetermination results are challenged?
Once each valid ballot has been included successful the last results, and aft processes specified arsenic recounts person been completed, the predetermination results are certified - archetypal successful section jurisdictions, past astatine the state-wide level.
A authorities executive, typically the governor, past certifies what's known arsenic a slate of electors that volition correspond their authorities successful the electoral college. These electors conscionable successful their respective states connected 17 December to formed their votes and nonstop them to Washington.
On 6 January, a caller US Congress meets successful a associated league to number the electoral votes, with the existent vice-president presiding.
After the 2020 election, Trump refused to concede decision and rallied supporters to march connected the US Capitol arsenic Congress was gathering to certify Biden's victory.
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He urged his vice-president, Mike Pence, to cull the results - but Pence refused.
Even aft the riot was cleared and members of Congress regrouped, 147 Republicans voted unsuccessfully to overturn Trump's loss.
Electoral reforms since past person made it harder for lawmakers to entity to certified results sent to them from idiosyncratic states, and person besides clarified that the vice-president has nary powerfulness to unilaterally cull electoral votes.
Nevertheless, predetermination watchers expect that efforts to hold certification of the 2024 ballot could instrumentality spot astatine the section and authorities level.
Trump, his moving mate JD Vance and apical Republican leaders connected Capitol Hill person refused connected respective occasions to authorities unequivocally that they volition judge the results of the predetermination if helium loses.
When is the statesmanlike inauguration?
The president-elect volition beryllium inaugurated connected Monday 20 January 2025 connected the grounds of the US Capitol complex.
It volition beryllium the 60th statesmanlike inauguration successful US history.
The lawsuit volition spot the caller president sworn successful connected a pledge to uphold the Constitution and past present their inaugural address.
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