aAfter a historic US election cycle that saw the incumbent president resign from his party and two assassination attempts on Republican presidential candidates, voters are (finally) beginning to cast their votes.
Tens of millions of Americans will have already voted by the November 5 polls deadline, and tens of millions more will vote in person on Election Day. More than 200 million Americans voted in the presidential election in 2020, with turnout reaching its highest level since 1992.
This year, election experts say Americans are eager to make their voices heard in what will likely be a very close race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, and voter turnout is expected to increase. We expect it to be similarly strong. Voters will also have the opportunity to consider thousands of other elections at the federal, state and local levels.
As voters head to the polls, here’s a guide to how to navigate what’s sure to be an eventful election night.
6:00 PM ET: Voting deadline begins
Initial voting ends at 6 p.m. ET in eastern Kentucky and most of Indiana. Democratic expectations are low in the two Republican-leaning states, with Mr. Trump virtually guaranteed to win both states and Republicans expected to easily control most of the House seats in the two states.
7:00 p.m. ET: Voting is fully closed in six states, including Georgia.
Americans will get their first clue about the outcome of the presidential election at 7pm ET when voting ends in the battleground state of Georgia. After President Trump won Georgia by 5 points four years ago, Joe Biden won Georgia by just 0.2 points in 2020. Trump appears to have a slight advantage over Harris in the Peach State this year, but a good night for Democrats could put Georgia in line to win again.
As Georgia begins counting votes, voting also closes in Virginia, with both parties seeking to flip House seats. Republicans aim to expand their narrow majority in the House, and results in Virginia’s 2nd and 7th districts could provide early indicators of the party’s success.
7:30 p.m. ET: Voting ends in North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia.
North Carolina is one of the biggest tests for Harris, who has been running a close race against Trump in the state’s polls. Trump won North Carolina by one point in 2020 and by three points in 2016, and a loss in this battleground state could decide the former president’s fate. Democrats are also hopeful of winning the North Carolina gubernatorial race, given recent revelations about Republican Mark Robinson’s disturbing internet activities.
Meanwhile, the results in Ohio and West Virginia could determine control of the Senate. Republicans are expected to win the seat in West Virginia, where independent Sen. Joe Manchin has decided not to seek re-election. And Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown faces a tough race in Ohio. If Republicans win both races, Democrats’ current 51-49 advantage in the Senate would disappear.
8 p.m. ET: Voting is fully closed in 16 states, including Pennsylvania.
This will be a pivotal moment in the presidential election. Winner of Pennsylvania’s 19 electors has a much better chance of winning the White House, a fact both candidates acknowledged during numerous campaign events in the state.
“If you win Pennsylvania, you win everything,” President Trump said at a rally in September. “It’s very simple.”
Pennsylvania also hosts some of the most competitive legislative elections in the nation. A good night for Republicans could flip the seat of incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who is running against former hedge fund CEO Dave McCormick.
But if Democrats have a particularly strong night, they could set their sights on Florida, where final voting closes at 8 p.m. ET. In addition to Harris’ long-term hopes of flipping a state won twice by Trump, Democrat Debbie Mucarsel Powell will hold the seat of Republican Sen. Rick Scott, who has maintained a poll lead in the race. trying to steal. An upset victory for Mucarsel-Powell could allow Democrats to maintain their Senate majority.
8:30 p.m. ET: Voting ends in Arkansas.
There won’t be much suspense in Arkansas, as Trump is expected to win easily in the solidly Republican state. Arkansas has the distinction of being the only state where polls end at 8:30 p.m. ET, but most Americans’ attention has trickled out of battleground states by this point in the evening. I’ll be keeping an eye on the results.
9 p.m. ET: Voting is fully closed in 15 states, including Michigan and Wisconsin.
This would be a decisive moment for Harris. In 2016, Trump narrowly won the “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, sending him to the White House, but four years later, Biden won all three battleground states. .
The states where Ms. Harris is most likely to win 270 electoral votes this year are Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and Mr. Trump could secure a second term if he wins any of these states. There is.
Michigan and Wisconsin will also play potentially decisive roles in the battle for Congress. Democrats currently hold two seats in the state Senate that are contested this year, and a Republican victory in either election could give them a majority. Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, vacant after Elissa Slotkin chose to run for the U.S. Senate rather than seek re-election, is said to be “the most competitive vacancy in the nation.” are.
In New York, polls also close at 9 p.m. ET, giving Democrats a chance to flip some House seats won by Republicans in 2022. If successful, it could give Democrats a House majority.
10 p.m. ET: Voting is completely closed in Nevada, Montana, and Utah.
Harris wants to keep Nevada in her column, as Democratic presidential candidates have won every election in the state since 2008. Trump previously led in Nevada polls, but Harris narrowed the gap in the final weeks of the campaign.
Two more Senate races also end at this point in the evening. Democratic incumbent Jacky Rosen is favored to retain her seat in Nevada, but fellow Democratic Sen. Jon Tester’s prospects look bleak in Montana.
If Republicans do not have a Senate majority by the time the Montana polls close, this could be the moment when Republicans officially take control of the Senate.
11 p.m. ET: Voting is fully closed in four states, including California
Harris is virtually guaranteed a victory in her home state of California, where the House race is critical to control of Congress. Five House Republicans face close races in California, making the state Democrats’ best chance to regain control of the House, according to Cook Political Report.
12 a.m. ET: Voting ends in most of Hawaii and Alaska.
By the time polls conclude in Hawaii and most of Alaska, Americans should have a better idea of who will move into the White House in January. But if 2020 is any indication, the public may have to wait a little longer before a final decision is made on who won the presidential election.
In 2020, the Associated Press did not declare Biden the winner of the presidential election until 11:26 a.m. ET on November 7, four days after the first round of voting closed. And in 2016, it took until 2:29 a.m. ET the morning after Election Day for Trump to be declared the winner.
Given how close the race for the White House is expected to be, Americans may have to settle for a long night, or even a week, to find out who their next president will be.
Read more of the Guardian’s 2024 US election coverage:
