Americans will vote today, the first Tuesday of November, as always.
How can you follow the results as they come in? It’s somewhat confusing with electoral colleges, polling and early voting, so this article will show you how to track the results as polls close across America’s time zones.
Which races should you watch, and potentially, when will the winner be called in the States?
First, it’s essential to understand that today’s election is not to elect a president but to vote in “Electors” who will vote for a President based on a simple majority of 270 electoral votes.
A caveat: polls closing does not automatically translate to the results being officially announced; however, because we can know how many registered voters are in each state by turnout, exit polling and demographics, we can infer which candidate is in a better position.
Results will start from the East Coast at 6 pm Eastern Time.
Polls Close at 6 pm/3 am West African Time.
Critical States to Watch: Indiana and Kansas
These are not swing States; they are in the Republican column. However, since the polls have indicated Donald Trump has a shot at the Popular Vote, it’s essential to see how many votes Trump wins. Is he beating his 2016/2020 winning margin?
Polls Close at 7 pm/4 am West African Time.
Critical State to Watch: Georgia, Florida and Virginia
Georgia is a critical Swing State to watch. Whoever wins the State is favoured to win the Presidency. Again, look at the winning margins.
- Florida used to be a swing state, but now it is red. Trump will win Florida. The margin of victory for Trump is crucial if he hopes to win the popular vote. Watch the Senate Race between Allred (D)and Cruz (R). It is Key to the control of the Senate
- Virginia is a blue State with a popular Republican Governor. This could be the first upset if Trump wins here but watch the closing margins.
Polls Close at 7:30 pm/4:30 am West African Time
Critical State to Watch: North Carolina
Another swing state was hit by a hurricane that displaced a lot of voters. Trump won this state election in 2016 and 2020, and Kamala has campaigned hard. Again, whoever wins this state will probably win the presidency.
Polls Close 8:00 pm/5:00 am West African Time
Critical State to Watch: Pennslyvania and Michigan
These are the first of the Democratic Blue Wall states (either Wisconsin). Kamala has to retain all three with no errors.
- Both States will not conclude counting on election day because of mail-in and absentee ballots, but we are watching for trends: Which areas are seeing an uptick? Cities favour Kamala, and suburbs and rural regions favour Trump.
- Watch for the Maine single electoral vote here. Its very key
- If any candidate has won Georgia and North Carolina, then the probability of winning the Great Lake states (Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania ) significantly increase
Polls Close at 9:00 pm/6:00 am West African Time
Critical State to Watch: .Wisconson, Arizona and Nebraska
Two more swing States, Wisconsin and Arizona.
Biden won Wisconsin in 2020; Trump won it in 2016, and it’s a toss-up, similar to Arizona. Nebraska, like Maine, shares its electoral votes, and there is a single electoral college there.
Polls Close at 10:00 pm/7:00 am West African Time.
Critical State to Watch: Nevada
The last of the swing states, but key. Currently, it is a State held by Democrats, but the Republicans have aggressively pushed early voting in the State.
- The way to follow the election day is to imagine a puzzle; each candidate must complete their map before the other.
- Even without the results from Pennsylvania and Michigan, if a candidate has swept Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, and North Carolina, then the odds will indeed favour that candidate to win by getting to 270.
I do not think the elections are that close and that we will know de facto who the winner is on Tuesday. Happy watching.
