Here’s when the winner of the 2024 election could become clear as Harris and Trump compete in swing states.
Topline
In the seven swing states likely to decide the election on Tuesday, the timing of results vary based on laws in each state and the volume of absentee votes—with the earliest indication of who might win likely coming by the end of Election Day, when results are reported in Georgia and North Carolina, though final tallies could take days or weeks.Key Facts
In a race this close—with polling averages showing Harris and Trump within two points of each other nationally—unofficial results could take days to come in, especially if races come down to a small number of votes in the seven battlegrounds.
The Associated Press, which uses a network of “thousands of stringers and vote center clerks who take feeds, scrape official state websites for data and electronically add up votes across the country,” is the official source used by major media outlets for determining U.S. election outcomes, which are made when “it’s certain that the candidate who’s ahead in the count can’t be caught,” according to the AP.
When Can We Expect Results In The Seven Swing States?
North Carolina: It’s likely to be one of the first states called, as the vast majority of ballots are expected to be counted by midnight on Election Day, University of North Carolina political science professor Jason Roberts told Fox Digital. Polls close relatively early, at 7:30 p.m. EST, and officials process absentee ballots once a week from Oct. 1 through Election Day. They are allowed to begin counting absentee ballots between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Election Day, but in-person early votes can’t be counted until polls close.
Georgia: This state will also work quickly, with most votes counted within hours of polls closing at 7 p.m. EST. Officials were allowed to begin processing mail-in ballots the third Monday before Election Day, Oct. 21, and begin counting them at 7 a.m. on Election Day. A new law passed this year requires counties to report the results of early and absentee ballots by 8 p.m. on Election Day and report the number of uncounted ballots by 10 p.m.
Wisconsin: The state can begin processing absentee ballots at 7 a.m. on Election Day, and polls close at 9 p.m. EST. Election officials expect unofficial results late on Election Day or Wednesday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
