When is the US election and how does it work? Here's what you need to know about the 2024 presidential race
The campaign trail is nearing its end in the US and election day is drawing close.
Here's what you need to know about the presidential election.
When is the US election?
It will take place on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
Polls will open as early as 5am local time in some jurisdictions and close as late as 8pm.
When will we know the result of the US election?
Officials will start counting votes once the polls close in their state — and results will start being known within a few hours.
Most of the public's votes should be counted on election night in the US.
But because each state has different rules about how ballots are counted and reported, it could take longer for some jurisdictions.
Even if a state counts quickly, we might not see races officially called for days if the margins are close.
While the Electoral College is responsible for officially voting on who becomes president, we'll likely see a projected winner on the day of the vote.
Who is running for president?
In alphabetical order, the main contenders are:
- Kamala Harris (Democrats)
- Donald Trump (Republican)
We started out with a rematch between the major candidates from the 2020 presidential election: President Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
But since Mr Biden decided to withdraw from the race in July, the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee is now his current Vice President, Kamala Harris.
That means the key candidates in the race are Trump for the Republicans and Ms Harris for the Democrats.
Robert F Kennedy Jr, the nephew of former president John F Kennedy, was running as an independent but dropped out of the race in August to endorse Trump.
His campaign was always going to be a bit of a long-shot – independents tend to struggle in the polls and founding father George Washington is still the only independent to have ever served as president.
Ms Harris and Trump will each campaign to be elected with what's called a running mate – that's the person who will become the vice-president if their ticket is successful.
Trump named Ohio senator JD Vance as his running mate during the Republican National Convention in mid-July.
And in early August, Harris picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.
What are Americans voting for?
Voters aren't just deciding on who will be the next president and vice-president.
All 435 seats in the US House of Representatives will be contested, as well as 34 Senate seats.
Some states and territories will also hold state and local elections.
How is the president elected?
They need at least 270 electors to win.
The public doesn't get to directly decide on who becomes the next president and vice president.
Instead, the decision is made through the Electoral College, which is made up of 538 electors who then cast a vote for the candidate.
Electors are actual people representing their area and vote according to the local results.
It differs between states how these electors are chosen and how many each jurisdiction has to represent them, but they're generally chosen by political parties.
California has the most electoral college votes with 54, while other states have as few as three.
Here's a basic view of how it works:
1. Voters cast their ballot for president, which goes toward a statewide tally
2. With the exception of two states that use a proportional system, the winner of the statewide tally gets all the electoral votes for that state
3. A presidential candidate needs the vote of at least 270 electors to win the election
The Electoral College won't make its official vote on the next president until mid-December but we'll know the result of the election much sooner.
Can someone win the popular vote but lose the election?
Yes.
It’s possible for a candidate to win the Electoral College vote despite not being the general public’s choice.
This has happened only a handful of times:
2016
2000
1888
1874
1826
Donald Trump became president in 2016 despite millions more people voting for Hillary Clinton.
That’s because the Republican Party managed to win the popular vote in enough heavy-hitting states like Texas (which, in 2016, had 38 electoral collage votes) and Pennsylvania (which had 20) to be awarded more electoral college spots.
When will the president be sworn in?
On January 20, 2025.
That day is known as Inauguration Day and happens every four years on that date (or January 21 if the 20th falls on a Sunday).
The ceremony takes place at the Capitol building in Washington, DC.
You can expect to see the president-elect (what we call someone who has won the election but not yet been sworn in) recite the presidential oath and later give their inaugural address.
