American voters go to the polls on November 5 to choose their next president. US election results are sometimes declared within hours of polls closing, but this year’s close race could mean a longer wait. When is the result of the 2024 presidential election expected?
In some presidential races, the winner is announced late on election night, or early in the morning. This time, the race may mean the media has to wait longer before predicting who won. Democrat Kamala Harris, the current vice president, and Republican Donald Trump, the former president, have been battling head-to-head for weeks. Close wins can also mean recounts. In the key state of Pennsylvania, for example, a statewide recount will be required if there is a difference of half a percentage point between the votes cast for the winner and the loser. In 2020, the difference was just over 1.1 percentage points.
Legal challenges are also possible. More than 100 pre-election lawsuits have already been filed, including challenges to voter eligibility and voter registration management, by Republicans.
Other scenarios that could cause delays include any election-related disturbances, particularly at polling stations. On the other hand, the counting of votes has been accelerated in some areas, including the swing state of Michigan, and far fewer votes will be cast by mail than in the last election, which was during the Covid pandemic. When were the results of the previous presidential elections announced?
The 2020 election took place on Tuesday 3 November. However, American television networks did not declare Joe Biden the winner until late Saturday morning, November 7, after the result in Pennsylvania became clearer. In other recent elections, voters have had a much shorter wait. In 2016, when Trump won the presidency, he was declared the winner just before 03:00 local time the day after the election. In 2012, when Barack Obama secured a second term, his victory was projected before midnight on Election Day itself. However, the 2000 election between George W Bush and Al Gore was a notable exception.
Voting was held on November 7th, but the two campaigns went to battle in a tight race in Florida, and the race was not decided until December 12th. The US Supreme Court voted to end the state recount process, which kept Bush as the winner and handed him the White House.
