This Tuesday, November 5, the U.S. elections will be held in the United States. 2024 presidential electionThe 2024 presidential elections, which will determine who will be the next president of the United States: the Republican Donald Trump or the Democrat Kamala Harris. The recount has already begun in what is expected to be a very close election, according to the polls, so it is expected to be a night of heart-pounding, in which the smallest details will decide the new tenant of the White House.
At Spain we will live that election night in the early morning of November 5 to 6.. It will be a long evening for many, and for those who stay awake to find out the decision of the Americans, the most common question is: When will the winner be known?
The official process takes weeks, but the media often advance the winner
Although in Spain we know the winner of the elections on the same night, within a few hours, in the United States the process is much more complex. Officially, in fact, a winner is not proclaimed until the Electoral College meets several weeks later of the election to certify the results.
Announcements made during election night are “screenings“that the media do through exit polls, advance data, statistical modeling and data management. Thus, provide as accurately as possible the outcome of each state.and ultimately the winner of the presidential election and the winner of the new president of the United States.
However, this is straightforward when elections are decided by a considerable margin, but. many factors come into play that can delay the announcement: time zones, the closing of polling stations, the electoral regulations of each state, possible incidents, particularly close results…
Announcement of winner may be delayed if it is unclear
All the responsibility lies with the media, which put accuracy before speedif there are a few clear results for their measurements, it is customary (as it has been on most occasions) for them to announce the winner of the election during the early hours of the morning from November 5 to 6 (Spanish time).
Otherwise and any complications arise, the U.S. media do not usually “get their fingers caught”. y only provide an accurate result when they have the assurance: in the last election, in 2020, the result was so close that they preferred to wait until they were sure that Joe Biden was the president-elect to launch their projection and declare a winner.
In 2000, for example, some media declared Al Gore the winner despite the narrow margin.although hours later they had to change their minds: finally the Supreme Court gave the victory in those elections to Bush.
The deadline: January 6
Bottom line, the official proclamation of an election winner does not take place on the same election nightbut when the Electoral College does it (it can take weeks or months depending on the results, possible litigations…).
Informallythrough the media projectionsIn this case, it may be during election night, it may take several days, or there may be no media projection at all: in this case, it would be necessary to wait for the official Electoral College count, which will take place on January 6, 2025.