US Election 2024: Donald Trump or Kamala Harris — When will India know the poll results?

US election results 2025: As the US presidential election approaches on November 5, the latest polls indicate Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump are neck-and-neck in a highly competitive battle. With more than 41 million Americans having already cast their ballots ahead of Election Day, scheduled for November 5, this election appears to be one of the most closely fought races in recent history.
The upcoming presidential race is expected to be an important and pivotal moment in American history. After a widely criticized debate performance against Donald Trump, Joe Biden chose to withdraw from the presidential race, under increasing pressure from fellow Democrats.

When are the US elections?

The upcoming US elections are scheduled for Tuesday, November 5. According to the U.S. Constitution, Americans cast their votes on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The person who emerges victorious from the US presidential race will take office in the White House for a four-year term from his inauguration on January 20, 2025.

Vote counting will begin on November 5, but it could take several days before the identity of the next US president is confirmed. Typically, the media will declare the winner of the US presidential election on election night or the day after, based on their analysis of the available data.

Polling stations may vary in different states, but in most locations polling stations are open from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM local time (around 4:30 PM IST to 6:30 AM IST on November 6).

Exit polling, which is used to assess voter sentiment and predict outcomes, will begin after 5:00 PM EST (2:30 AM IST on November 6).

Electoral margin

If a candidate receives 270 votes or more according to the current results, he will be declared the winner of the election, even while we wait for the official results.

Election results

Votes are counted in each state once the polls close. Polling station closing times vary from country to country and usually start around 7:00 PM local time. Due to the many time zones in the US, votes on the East Coast are counted before voters in states such as Alaska and Hawaii have finished casting their ballots.

It is important to note that news organizations may share data specific to each state, but they will not officially announce a winner until all votes in that state have been counted. Particularly in crucial battleground states, final results may not be available until a more thorough vote count is conducted, especially in close elections.

Once the outcome of the race is clear, a winner could be announced within hours. However, in situations where election results are closely contested, the final decision could potentially take days or even weeks, depending on the speed of vote counting and the possibility of legal issues arising.

The person who emerges victorious in the US presidential election will begin his four-year term in the White House on January 20, 2025.

Previously, it took days to determine the winner of the election. In 2020, Joe Biden was declared the winner four days after the November 3 election, after the results of Pennsylvania were announced. Securing 20 of the state’s Electoral College votes pushed Biden’s total above the 270 needed to secure victory. In 2016, Hillary Clinton conceded to Trump the day after the election.

January 6, 2025

The counting of the electoral votes and the certification of the election winner will take place during a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2025. In 2025, Kamala Harris will preside over this count as sitting Vice President and President of the Senate, succeeding Vice President Mike Pence. role in January 2021, when Joe Biden was declared president-elect. Each state presents its votes in alphabetical order during this ceremonial process, which is typically held after the media has already declared a winner and a concession speech has been delivered.