Results are announced American elections Sometimes within hours of polls closing, but this year’s close contest could mean a longer wait.
When is the result of the 2024 presidential elections expected to be announced?
In some presidential races, the winner is announced late on election night, or early the next morning.
This time, a tight race in several states may mean the media has to wait longer before announcing a winner.
Democrat Kamala Harris, the current Vice President, and Republican Donald Trump, the former President, have been competing for weeks.
Narrow victories could also mean a recount Votes.
In the key swing state of Pennsylvania, for example, a statewide recount would be needed if there was a half-percentage point difference between votes cast for the winner and loser. In 2020, the margin was just over 1.1 percentage points.
Legal challenges are also possible.
More than 100 lawsuits have already been filed before the election, including challenges to voter eligibility and list management Votersby Republicans.
Other scenarios that could cause a delay include any election-related disruption, especially at polling sites.
On the other hand, the vote counting process has been sped up in some areas, including the crucial 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 elections took place on Tuesday, November 3. However, American television networks did not announce Joe Biden’s victory until late in the morning on Saturday, November 7, after the result in Pennsylvania became clearer.
In other previous elections, voters’ waits were much shorter.
In 2016, when Trump won the presidency, his victory was declared shortly before 03:00 a.m. EST the day after the election.
In 2012, when Barack Obama won a second term, he was expected to win before midnight on polling day itself.
However, the 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore was a notable exception.
Voting was held on November 7, but the two campaigns were locked in a fierce contest due to the intense competition in Florida and the race was not decided until December 12. The US Supreme Court voted to end the recount process in the state, which kept Bush in office as the winner and gave him the White House.
