When will we know who won?

Polls have closed in all seven key battlegrounds of this US election – though in some states voters are nonetheless in line.

The results of one swing state has already been projected, and there are indicators to counsel how others are leaning.

However it may nonetheless be a while earlier than we discover out whether or not Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Kamala Harris has received.

Outcomes are declared state-by-state, and the BBC is holding you up to date with a operating tally as we go.

The race will come all the way down to outcomes from seven swing states, which consultants imagine Harris and Trump each have a practical probability of successful.

Turnout has been excessive in early voting, each in-person and by mail, with information damaged in some states.

It is price noting that votes are very a lot nonetheless being counted. Nonetheless, there are some indicators of how voting in these key states goes.

Proper now, as at 23:41 EST (04:41 GMT), Donald Trump is projected to win:

Trump appears to be like to be forward in:

• Georgia, the place Trump has slightly below a 3 proportion level lead with about 90% of votes counted. It means Kamala Harris must do very nicely with the remaining city votes but to be counted with a view to catch up.

The race could be very shut in:

• Pennsylvania, the place remaining outcomes may take a while
• Wisconsin, the place an general outcome might also take a while
• Michigan, the place a remaining outcome isn’t anticipated till the tip of Wednesday
• Arizona, the place the general rely may take days
• Nevada, the place the general rely may additionally take days

The final polls will shut at 01:00 EST (06:00 GMT) early on Wednesday.

In some presidential races, the victor has been named late on election night time, or early the following morning.

This time, the knife-edge race in lots of states may complicate how rapidly media retailers venture a winner. Slender victories may additionally imply recounts.

In the important thing swing state of Pennsylvania, for instance, a recount could be required if there’s a half-percentage-point distinction between the votes solid for the winner and loser. In 2020, the margin was simply over 1.1 proportion factors.

However we’re getting projected outcomes from states with essentially the most predictable voting patterns.

Authorized challenges are additionally attainable. Greater than 100 pre-election lawsuits have already been filed, principally by Republicans difficult voter eligibility and voter roll administration.

Counting can take a while, with the verification of ballots requiring comparisons with lively voter numbers; eradicating, unfolding and inspecting each single poll for tears, stains or injury; and documenting and investigating any inconsistencies.

Alternatively, vote-counting has sped up in some areas, together with the essential state of Michigan, and fewer votes have been solid by mail than within the final election, which was in the course of the Covid pandemic.

In such a good race, early vote outcomes is probably not the most effective indication of who will finally win.

In 2020, Trump was main in some key states on election night time however Biden overtook him as mail ballots, closely favoured by Democrats on the time, have been counted.

Although election consultants warned beforehand of such a phenomenon, Trump seized upon it to amplify his unfounded claims that the election was stolen.

There might be one other so-called “pink mirage” this yr – or maybe a “blue mirage” that originally favours Harris however then shifts towards Trump.

Greater than 83 million Individuals voted early, based on the College of Florida Election Lab’s nationwide early vote tracker.

However whereas early voting has usually favoured Democrats, registered Republicans have solid practically as many early votes this time round.

Within the 2020 election, US TV networks didn’t declare Joe Biden the winner till 4 days after election day, when the lead to Pennsylvania turned clearer.

In different latest elections, voters have had a a lot shorter wait.

In 2016, Trump was declared the winner shortly earlier than 03:00 EST (08:00 GMT) a number of hours after polls closed.

In 2012, when Barack Obama secured a second time period, his victory was projected earlier than midnight the identical night of election day.

Nevertheless, the 2000 election between George W Bush and Al Gore was a notable exception. The race was not determined for 5 weeks, when the US Supreme Court docket voted to finish Florida’s recount. That stored Bush in place as winner and handed him the White Home.

As soon as each legitimate vote has been included within the remaining outcomes, a course of often known as the electoral faculty comes into play.

In every state a various variety of electoral faculty votes will be received, and it’s securing these – and never simply the backing of voters themselves – that in the end wins the presidency.

Usually, states award all of their electoral faculty votes to whoever wins the favored vote and that is confirmed after conferences on 17 December.

The brand new US Congress then meets on 6 January to rely the electoral faculty votes and make sure the brand new president.

After the 2020 election, Trump refused to concede and rallied supporters to march on the US Capitol as Congress was assembly to certify Biden’s victory.

He urged his Vice-President, Mike Pence, to reject the outcomes – however Pence refused.

Even after the riot was cleared and members of Congress regrouped, 147 Republicans voted unsuccessfully to overturn Trump’s loss.

Electoral reforms since then have made it more durable for lawmakers to object to licensed outcomes despatched to them from particular person states. They’ve additionally clarified that the vice-president has no energy to unilaterally reject electoral votes.

However, election watchers anticipate that efforts to delay certification of the 2024 vote may happen on the native and state degree.

Trump, his operating mate JD Vance and high Republican leaders on Capitol Hill have refused on a number of events to state unequivocally that they are going to settle for the outcomes if he loses.

It’s attainable that the 2 candidates may find yourself in a tie as a result of they’ve the identical variety of electoral faculty votes – 269 every.

In that state of affairs, members of the Home of Representatives – the decrease chamber of the US Congress – would vote to decide on the president in a course of often known as a contingent election.

In the meantime the Senate – the higher chamber – would vote for the vice-president.

However that hasn’t occurred for about 200 years.

The president-elect will start their time period in workplace after being inaugurated on Monday, 20 January 2025, within the grounds of the US Capitol complicated.

It is going to be the sixtieth presidential inauguration in US historical past.

The occasion will see the brand new president sworn in on a pledge to uphold the Structure after which ship their inaugural deal with.