Americans dey vote for dia next president in a general election wey go round off on Tuesday 5 November.
Once election end, depending on how close e be, e dey possible say a winner no go dey known for several hours, days or even weeks. Dis na wetin you need to know.
When di 2024 presidential election result dey expected?
Democrat Kamala Harris, di current vice-president, and Republican Donald Trump, di former president, don dey neck-and-neck for weeks.
National and swing state polls don tighten as 5 November draws closer, so dia fit be very narrow margins of victory in several places, wey fit require votes to dey recounted.
E also dey possible say some results fit come in more slowly dis year due to changes in how individual states – including all seven swing states wey go ultimately decide di race – don administer dia elections since 2020.
On di oda hand, dem don speed up vote-counting in places like Michigan, and fewer votes na im dem go cast by mail dis time dan in di last election, wey dem do during di Covid pandemic.
E mean say a number of possible outcomes dey – a winner fit dey declared on election night, di next morning or possibly days or weeks later.
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When we get di 2020 presidential election result?
Di 2020 election take place on Tuesday 3 November, but US TV networks no declare Joe Biden di winner until late morning on Saturday 7 November.
As Americans go to bed on election night, Trump supporters bin feel confident say victory dey near but, in fact, both candidates bin dey within reach of di 270 electoral college votes needed to become president-elect.
Though di vast majority of states call dia races within a 24-hour period, a handful of key states – including Pennsylvania and Nevada – no do so.
Pennsylvania, with im19 electoral votes, bin don dey trend towards di Democrats. On Saturday morning, a fresh batch of ballots wey dem count from di battleground state give networks di confidence to project say Biden go win dia.
CNN na di first to announce di result, with every oda TV network following suit over di next 15 minutes.
When dem dey usually announce di presidential election results?
Generally, voters don become used to di idea say dem go know who di next president go be by di time dem go to bed late on election night or at least in di early morning hours of di next day.
For 2016, for example, wen Trump first win di presidency, dem declare am di winner shortly before 03:00 EST (08:00 GMT) di day after di election.
For 2012, when Barack Obama secure a second term, im victory bin dey expected before midnight on polling day itself.
But one notable recent exception na di 2000 election between George W Bush and Al Gore.
Di two campaigns go to war over a tight contest for Florida, and di race no dey decided until 12 December when di US Supreme Court vote to end di state recount process, keeping Bush in place as di certified winner and handing am di keys to di White House.
Wetin be di key states to watch?
Across di kontri, di first polls go close by 1800 EST (2200 GMT) on Tuesday evening and di last polls go close by 0100 EST (0500 GMT) early on Wednesday.
But dis race dey expected to come down to results from di seven swing states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
1900 EST (2300 GMT) – Polls go close for Georgia and five oda states, and partially for two more states. Dis na also wen US TV networks go likely to begin to make dia first calls of di night, for less competitive states like Kentucky.
1930 EST (2330 GMT) – Polls go close across three states, including North Carolina, wia Harris dey hope to end a string of losses for Democratic presidential candidates since 2008.
2000 EST (0000 GMT) – Polls go close for Pennsylvania, 15 oda states and di District of Columbia, as well as partially for Michigan and four oda states.
2100 EST (0100 GMT) – All remaining polls close for Michigan. Voting go also end for Arizona, Wisconsin and 12 oda states.
2200 EST (0200 GMT) – Polls go close across Nevada and two oda states, and partially in two others.
How di vote-counting dey work?
Typically, di votes cast on election day na im dem dey tally first, followed by early and mail ballots, dose wey don dey challenged, and den overseas and military ballots.
Local election officials – sometimes appointed, sometimes elected – go verify, process and count individual votes, for process known as canvassing.
Verifying ballots include comparing di number cast wit di number of active voters; removing, unfolding and to check everi single ballot for tears, stain or oda damage; and documenting and investigating any irregularities.
Counting ballots dey involve feeding each one into electronic scanners wey go create tables for di results. Some situations dey require manual counts or double-checked tallies.
Everi state and locality get serious rules wey dey specify who fit participate for di canvass, di order in which dem dey process votes and which parts dey open to di public, including how partisan observers fit monitor and intervene for vote-counting.
Wetin fit delay di presidential election result?
Tight margins fit make media outlets to wait longer bifor dem make dia projections, but dem also raise di chance for recounts and legal challenges.
For Pennsylvania, for example, automatic state-wide recount go come into effect if e get a half-percentage point difference between di votes cast for di winner and di loser.
For 2020, di margin just dey ova 1.1 percentage points.
More dan 100 pre-election lawsuits don already dey filed across di kontri, including challenges to voter eligibility and voter roll management by Republicans.
Ongoing court rulings for dis cases don dey shape dis race by di day.
Oda scenarios wey fit cause delays include any instances of election-related disorder, particularly for polling locations, and obstacles to vote-counting, like di bursting of a water pipe at a ballot processing site for Georgia in 2020.
Wetin go happun if di presidential election results dey challenged?
Once everi valid vote don dey included for di final results, and afta processes such as recounts don dey completed, di election results go dey certified – first for local jurisdictions, den for di state-wide level.
A state executive, wey be di govnor, go den certify wetin dey known as a slate of electors wey go represent dia state for di electoral college.
Dis electors meet for dia respective states on 17 December to cast dia votes and send dem to Washington.
On 6 January, a new US Congress go meet for joint session to count di electoral votes, wit di current vice-president presiding.
Afta di 2020 election, Trump refuse to accept defeat and make supporters to march on di US Capitol as Congress dey meet to certify Biden victory.
E urge im Vice-President, Mike Pence, to reject di results – but Pence refuse.
Even afta di kasala dey cleared and members of Congress regroup, 147 Republicans vote unsuccessfully to overturn Trump loss.
Electoral reforms since den don make am harder for lawmakers to reject certified results wey dem send give dem from individual states, and also clear say di vice-president get no power to singled-handedly reject electoral votes.
Election watchers expect say efforts to delay certification of di 2024 vote fit take place for di local and state level.
Trump, im running mate JD Vance and top Republican leaders on Capitol Hill don refuse on several occasions to state clearly say dem go accept di results of di election if e lose.
Wen be presidential inauguration?
Di president-elect go dey inaugurated on Monday 20 January 2025 for di US Capitol complex.
E go be di 60th presidential inauguration for US history.
Di event go see di new president sworn in on a pledge to uphold di Constitution and den deliver dia inaugural address.
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