U.S. presidential elections: Factors deciding when results will be announced

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (L) and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris (R)
| Photo Credit: AFP

Voters in the U.S. will go to polls Tuesday (November 5, 2024) to decide the country’s next president in what is expected to be a closely fought contest. Seven swing states, worth 95 electoral college votes, will decide who bags the 270 votes needed to win.

Some of these crucial swing states will release results earlier while others could take several days after polling. For instance, in 2020, it took around 16 days after polls closed for the race to be called in Georgia. On the other hand, the race was called in Arizona early next morning.

States differ again on the percentage of votes that were counted by midnight in 2020. The proportion of early in-person votes and absentee ballots also affect these figures. For instance, in North Carolina, around 65% of total votes were cast during early voting in 2020. Absentee ballots received before Election Day are tabulated before polls close, and will be the first ones updated by counties.

However, provisional ballots that require verification with regards to voters’ photo ID and absentee ballots that were received on Election Day are not counted on the day of the polls. These ballots will be verified by election officials and checked for voter eligibility in the days after the polls.

For 2024, around 98% of votes are expected to be counted by midnight on November 5 in North Carolina, according to a State press release.

Besides this, the vote margin between candidates also comes into play. If the margin is close enough, recounts are triggered automatically in some States. In others, candidates can request a recount given that it meets some criteria.