US Election Results 2024 LIVE: The final voting to elect the 47th president of the United States is set to begin on Tuesday (November 5), with both– Republican former President Trump, and Democratic Vice President Harris– predicting their victory as they campaigned across Pennsylvania on Monday in the final leg of an exceptionally close U.S. presidential election race. Both, Trump, 78, and Harris, 60, urged supporters in Pennsylvania, who have not yet cast their ballots, to show up on Election Day. The state reportedly offers the largest share of votes in the Electoral College of any of the seven battleground states expected to determine the outcome.
In her final days of the campaign, Vice President Harris focused on a message of hope, unity, optimism and women’s rights whereas Trump remained fiercely combative in targeting his Democratic rival and even suggested that he may not accept the election outcome in case of a defeat. Nevertheless, opinion polls show both Trump and Harris virtually even.
Overall, the campaigns of two main rivals saw a series of head-spinning twists, with two assassination attempts and a felony conviction for Trump, and Harris’ surprise elevation to the top of the ticket after President Joe Biden, 81, dropped his reelection bid under pressure from his own party.
More than USD 2.6 billion has been spent to sway the minds of 186 million Americans, who are eligible to vote, since March, according to AdImpact, an analytics firm.
When Will The US Election Start?
The final voting for the US Presidential election will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. In most states, polling stations will open between 7 am and 9 am local time. Given the span of multiple time zones in the US, that would be between 5 pm to 7 pm IST
When Does Polling End?
Poll closing times differ from state to state and sometimes county to county, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
When Will The Results Be Declared?
Most states in the US normally have a predictable voting pattern, and in such states, the results are often clear soon after the voting. But a handful of key (swing) states may take time to call the races, which may delay the final and overall US presidential results. The swing states — they are so-called because they can go either way unlike solidly Democratic and Republican states — are Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada.
However, the winner declared after the election day counting is actually just a “projected” winner. The official president-elect is not declared until electoral votes are taken into account.
Who Are Electors?
Electors are allocated based on how many representatives a state has in the House of Representatives, plus its two senators. The District of Columbia gets three, despite the fact that the home to Congress has no vote in Congress. As per a report by the Associated Press, it varies by state, but often the electors are picked by state parties. Members of Congress cannot serve as electors.
What Is The Electoral College?
The Electoral College is a 538-member body that elects a president. Each state’s electors vote for the candidate who won the popular vote in that state. The runner-up gets nothing — except in Nebraska and Maine where elector votes are awarded based on congressional district and statewide results.
To win the presidency, a candidate must secure 270 electoral votes — a majority of the 538 possible votes.
How Is It Different From Popular Vote?
Under the Electoral College system, more weight is given to a single vote in a small state than to the vote of someone in a large state, leading to outcomes at times that have been at odds with the popular vote.
How And When Final Votes Are Counted?
After state election officials certify their elections, electors meet in their individual states — never as one body — to certify the election. This year, that will happen on December 17.
If the two candidates have a tied number of votes, the election is thrown to the House, where each state’s congressional delegation gets one vote. Once a state’s electors have certified the vote, they send a certificate to Congress. Congress then formally counts and certifies the vote at a special session on January 6. The vice president presides as the envelopes for each state are opened and verified.
