US election 2024: Donald Trump or Kamala Harris -- When will India come to know about the poll results?

US election results 2025: As the United States presidential election draws near on November 5th, the latest polling data suggests that Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump are neck and neck in a highly competitive contest. With more than 41 million Americans having already cast their votes in early voting before Election Day, which is scheduled for November 5th, this election appears to be one of the most closely fought races in recent memory.
The upcoming presidential race is anticipated to be a significant and pivotal moment in American history. Following a widely criticized debate performance against Donald Trump, Joe Biden opted to withdraw from the presidential race amid increasing pressure from fellow Democrats.

When is the US elections?

The upcoming US election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 5. According to the US Constitution, Americans cast their votes on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. The individual who emerges victorious in the US presidential race will take office in the White House for a four-year term starting from their inauguration on January 20, 2025.

Vote counting will commence on November 5, however, it may require several days before the identity of the next US president is confirmed. Typically, media outlets will declare the winner of the US presidential election either on election night or the subsequent day, based on their analysis of available data.

Polling hours may differ in different states, however, most locations will have polling stations open from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm local time (around 4:30 pm IST to 6:30 am IST on November 6).

Exit polling, utilized to assess voter sentiment and forecast results, will commence after 5:00 pm EST (2:30 am IST on November 6).

Election margin

If a candidate secures 270 votes or more according to the current results, they will be declared the winner of the election, even as we await the official results.

Election results

Votes are tallied in each state once polling stations have closed. The closing times of polls differ across states, typically starting around 7pm local time. Due to the multiple time zones in the US, ballots are counted on the east coast before voters in states such as Alaska and Hawaii have finished casting their votes.

It is important to note that news organisations can share data specific to each state, but they will refrain from officially announcing a winner until all votes in that state have been counted. Particularly in crucial battleground states, final results may not be available until a more thorough vote count is conducted, especially in a close election.

If the outcome of the race is clear, a winner may be announced within hours. However, in situations where the election results are closely contested, the final decision could potentially take days or even weeks, depending on the speed of the vote counting process and the possibility of any legal challenges arising.

The individual who emerges victorious in the US presidential election will begin their four-year term in the White House on January 20, 2025.

In the past, it would take days to determine the winner of the election. In 2020, Joe Biden was declared the winner four days after the November 3 election, once Pennsylvania's result was finalised. Securing 20 electoral college votes from the state brought Biden's total over the 270 needed to secure victory. In 2016, Hillary Clinton conceded to Trump the day after the election.

January 6, 2025

The counting of electoral votes and certification of the election winner occurs during a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2025. In 2025, Kamala Harris will preside over this count as the sitting vice president and president of the Senate, mirroring Vice President Mike Pence's role in January 2021 when Joe Biden was declared president-elect. Each state presents its votes in alphabetical order during this ceremonial process, typically held after the media has already declared a winner and a concession speech has been delivered.