Date and time of counting of US election 2024 results: Date and time of US election 2024 results: Will it take weeks to announce the winner between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris?

People waiting for the results of the 2024 US election on Tuesday evening (November 5) may not know the result unless Democratic candidate Kamala Harris or Republican candidate Donald Trump wins in most states, especially the so-called swing states, a significant victory.

If there are no overwhelming margins of victory and the election numbers follow the polls, which are all within the margin of error – with the crucial swing state Pennsylvania for Trump at just 0.4 percent – it could take days or even, according to an IANS report It takes several weeks until the disputed results are clarified with recounts.

Traditionally, the losing candidate admits defeat before the election results are officially announced if the result is clear. But Trump hasn't admitted he lost, even four years after President Joe Biden defeated him in 2020.

If Trump loses, he will certainly face legal challenges, and so will Harris in a very close election where a few hundred votes or even fewer could decide the winner. Both have armies of lawyers waiting in the starting blocks.

To make matters worse, the president is elected by the Electoral College of 538 members distributed among the states based on their population, rather than by a popular vote. Except in two small states, whoever receives a majority of the vote in the state receives all of their electoral votes.

Therefore, a candidate can receive a majority of the popular vote but still lose if this does not result in a majority in the Electoral College. In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton won nearly 3 million more votes than Trump, but lost to him because his electoral college majority was 306 to 227. The final verdict will come in the seven swing states where neither party has a final majority and they can go either way. Together they have 93 votes in the electoral college.

Another difficulty in determining the results is that the Federal Election Commission only deals with election financing laws and does not conduct the elections.

As a result, without a national election board to oversee elections or uniform procedures and regulations across the country, states follow different schedules for closing polls and counting mail-in ballots — which are mailed or, in some cases, deposited by other means.

The official tally comes later, with each state following its procedures for certifying the results.

If the number of votes cast in person on Election Day or early voting days in a state does not significantly exceed the uncounted absentee ballots, the results for that state will be withheld.

If the margins are very close, either party could demand recounts, which could also delay results.

In 2020, the media announced the results of the November 3 election four days later, on November 7, after counting the Electoral College votes necessary for victory, although the count was not complete in all states.

The 2020 election, in which Republican George W. Bush defeated Democratic Vice President Al Gore, took 35 days to be decided because of a dispute over votes in Florida.

Finally, on December 12, the Supreme Court stopped the recount and the results of the November 7 election were announced.

If everything goes smoothly and the voting margin in key states is wide enough, the results could be known as early as midnight in New York (Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. Indian Standard Time (IST), with voting ending an hour earlier in California.

The media may also begin to give a sense of the trend earlier, around 9 p.m. ET, about an hour after closing time in Pennsylvania. Elections end at different local times across states, which in New York means between 6:00 p.m. (ET) and midnight.

Official announcements are certain to be delayed in several states due to legal challenges.

Each state's governors have until Dec. 11 to file “Certificates of Ascertainment” – the official count of Electoral College votes – with National Archivist Colleen J. Shogan, whose role is similar to that of the nation's chief recorder.

By law, the Electoral College should meet on the second Tuesday after the first Wednesday of the month, December 17th. They don't meet in one place, but vote in their state capitals.

FAQs

Q1. When is the 2024 US election result date?
A1. The results of the 2024 US election will be announced after Election Day on November 5th.

Q2. When does the 2024 US election count?
A2. The counting of the 2024 US election will take place after the end of the election on Tuesday, November 5th.