Trump vs Harris: How Soon Will We Know the Next U.S. President?

Donald Trump or Kamala Harris

Today (November 5th) the American people will choose their new president Trump vs Harris?

When the results come in after voting closes depends on how tight the race is between Donald Trump or Kamala Harris the two presidential candidates. If the competition between the candidates turns out to be very tight, as is currently expected, it may take several days for the results to be announced.

When will the results of the 2024 Between (Trump vs Harris) US presidential election be released?
The battle between US Vice President (Trump vs Harris) and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump is expected and there are many states where neither candidate has a clear advantage and there are very few votes for either candidate to win. In this case, there is a high possibility of recounting of votes for Trump vs Harris campaign.

There is also the possibility that results will be received later than before due to changes in the way results are compiled by a few states since the 2020 presidential election.

On the other hand, states like Michigan have speeded up the process of counting votes, while the number of mail-in votes will be significantly reduced this time compared to last time. In the previous election, there was an increase in postal votes due to the Corona epidemic.

Considering all these reasons, it is not possible to say with certainty that the election results will come immediately or they will be delayed.

When was the result declared in 2020?
The presidential election of the year 2020 was held on November 3 (Tuesday). But American TV channels did not announce Joe Biden’s victory until Saturday, November 7.

When Donald Trump’s supporters went to bed on election night, they hoped that their candidate would win, but in fact, both candidates had a chance of winning at that time.

While most of the states declared their results within 24 hours, there were some states like Pennsylvania and Nevada that delayed the results.

Pennsylvania, which had 19 electoral votes, was leaning toward the Democratic candidate, and it was only after Saturday’s results there that the media became confident that Biden would win.

Biden’s victory was first announced by CNN, after which the rest of the media networks also announced it in the next 15 minutes.

When are the results of the presidential election announced?

In past presidential elections, American voters have become accustomed to knowing who will be the next president on election night or at most the next morning.

For example, when Donald Trump first became president in 2016, he was declared the winner the morning after the election.

Similarly, when Barack Obama was elected president for the second time in 2012, it was known that he had won on the night of the election.

However, the story of the 2000 election between George Bush and John Kerry was a little different.

Florida saw a close contest between the two, and the contest was decided on December 12 when the US Supreme Court blocked a recount in the state, ultimately keeping Bush the winner and preventing him from becoming president. The last hurdle has been cleared.

States where tough competition is expected:

The US is so vast that the first poll will close at 6pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Tuesday (4am on Wednesday), while the last poll will close seven hours later on Wednesday night. It will close at 1:00 PM (Wednesday 11 AM PT).

The seven states expected to be hotly contested include Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Voting in Georgia and five other states will close completely and partially in three states at 7 pm EST (5 am on Wednesday).

Polling in four states, including South Carolina, will close at 7:30 PM EST (5:30 AM PT on Wednesday).

Similarly, polling in Pennsylvania and 16 other states will close completely, while in Michigan and four other states, polling will close at 8 pm EST (6 am on Wednesday).

Polling in the rest of Michigan and Arizona, Wisconsin and 12 other states will close at 9 pm (7 am on Wednesday).

Polling in Nevada and two other states will close at 10 pm. According to Pakistani time, polling will end at 8 o’clock on Wednesday morning.

How are votes counted?
Generally, the votes cast on election day are counted first. Then the mail-in votes, the challenged votes, and then the overseas and military ballots are counted.

Local election staff completes the verification, processing and counting of individual votes.

Ballot verification also involves comparing the votes cast with the number of active voters. Apart from this, each vote is examined to see if there is any stain or tear on any vote.

During the counting of votes, each ballot is fed into electronic scanners that collect their results. In some cases, these votes are recounted manually.

Each state and territory has strict rules about who can take part in the process, how the voting process will be organized and what the public and observers will have access to.

The results of the presidential election may be delayed based on what reasons?
A tight contest not only delays the media’s prediction of a successful candidate, but also increases the possibility of recounting of votes and legal complications.

In Pennsylvania, for example, the law mandates an automatic recount if the difference between the winning and losing candidates is half a percentage point. In 2020, the gap was 1.1 percent.

More than 100 cases have been filed across the country in the run-up to the election, including cases related to Republican challenges to voter eligibility and voter roll management. Court decisions in these cases are changing the shape of this race day by day.

What will happen if the results of the presidential election are challenged?
Election results are verified first at the local level and then at the state level after all valid votes have been added to the final results and processes such as recounts are completed.

The state executive, usually the state’s governor, then certifies a list of individuals who will represent their state in the Electoral College. All the electors will then vote together in their respective states on December 17 and then it will be sent to Washington.

Then on January 6, the new US Congress holds a joint session to count the electoral votes, presided over by the current vice president.

After the 2020 presidential election, when Congress was meeting to confirm Biden’s victory, Donald Trump refused to concede defeat and incited his supporters to march on the US Capitol.

He urged his Vice President, Mike Pence, to reject the results, but Pence refused.

Even after the turmoil subsided and members of Congress reconvened, 147 Republicans voted to overturn Trump’s defeat but failed in their attempt.

However, subsequent electoral reforms have made it difficult for lawmakers to object to certified results sent by states. Now the Vice President does not even have the power to unilaterally reject electoral votes.

However, election observers expect efforts to delay vote verification at the local and state level during the 2024 election, and several groups are preparing efforts to cast doubt on the election results.

On multiple occasions, Trump, his running mate J.D. Vance and top Republican leaders have refused to say they would accept the election results if he lost.

When will the new president take the oath of office?
The president-elect will take the oath of office on Monday, January 20, 2025, on the grounds of the US Capitol complex. This will be the 60th presidential inauguration in American history. During this event, the President will also deliver the inaugural address.

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