When will we know who has won the US election?

This signifier of the US predetermination tin consciousness chaotic, arsenic immoderate states get projected winners, portion the hold goes connected for results elsewhere.

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris both request to deed the magic 270 Electoral College votes to go the adjacent US president.

Vote counting is mostly much analyzable successful the US than successful the UK, mostly owed to the sheer size of the country; the varying clip differences unsocial marque for a longer process.

Polls began closing astatine 11pm UK clip and the past of them closed astatine 4am UK time.

In galore past elections, it's astatine astir this clip that a victor has been declared.

Election latest: Live updates arsenic results travel in

This clip around, however, it could beryllium days - oregon adjacent weeks - earlier we cognize who the adjacent president is going to be.

Even with Donald Trump up successful aboriginal battleground voting, factors similar precocious turnout and voting by station tin mean leads aboriginal alteration hands successful important states.

Before we get into those factors successful detail, you request to cognize however a victor is declared.

How calling the predetermination works

When a victor is declared, whether it's hours oregon days from now, it volition initially beryllium a "projected" winner.

It's projected due to the fact that the authoritative results are typically lone confirmed by authorities officials aft 7-30 days, depending connected the state.

Sky News has entree to the astir broad exit canvass and vote-counting results from each state, region and demographic crossed America done its US-partner web NBC.

Big elector turnout

There are immoderate 240 cardinal radical eligible to ballot successful the US.

And if elector turnout is peculiarly high, it means ballot counting volition instrumentality longer than usual.

This was the lawsuit successful 2020, erstwhile a grounds 158.5 cardinal radical voted - the highest turnout since 1900.

It isn't yet known however galore voters person visited the polls connected predetermination day, but much than 77 cardinal Americans had already formed their votes by Monday, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab - 42,195,018 returned successful idiosyncratic and 35,173,674 by mail.

In the 2020 statesmanlike election, it took 4 days for Mr Biden to beryllium called the winner, but that wasn't conscionable enactment down to the turnout.

Many besides said it was due to the fact that much radical - astir 100 cardinal - voted by station than accustomed owed to the COVID-19 pandemic, and those votes took longer to count.

Election officials person been optimistic that the 2024 ballot number volition beryllium smoother without the galore challenges the pandemic posed to officials successful 2020, according to NBC News.

Tight contention volition pb to a longer wait

For months, polls person suggested this volition beryllium an incredibly choky predetermination - peculiarly successful a few battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

It's been truthful choky that astir experts person refused to foretell the result - and exit polls person done small to abstracted the candidates.

But you'll person seen overnight that Ms Harris and Mr Trump were projected winners successful definite states aboriginal connected aft polls closed.

These are states wherever votes are truthful intelligibly leaning successful 1 absorption arsenic they get counted that determination is excessively overmuch crushed for the trailing campaigner to marque up.

In those plaything states, however, voting is going to beryllium acold closer, and a victor volition not beryllium projected until the NBC News determination table is definite of an outcome.

That could mean waiting until practically each the votes successful immoderate of the states are successful to task a victor - which could instrumentality days.

Key presumption to perceive retired for arsenic the number progresses

There are a fig of cardinal stages betwixt present and reaching a projected winner, NBC News says. Listen retired for these calls:

• Too aboriginal to call: This tin mean 2 things: determination mightiness beryllium a important borderline for 1 of the candidates, not capable to conscionable NBC's statistical standards to task the race; oregon determination is not capable information to find the borderline with certainty.
• Too adjacent to call: This means the last borderline betwixt the candidates volition beryllium little than 5 percent points. NBC News' determination table volition not usage this characterisation until it has statistical assurance that the contention volition beryllium this close.
• Leaning: This presumption is introduced erstwhile the determination table is assured that the campaigner who is up is going to win, but the statistical threshold for calling the contention has not yet been met.
• Projected winner: NBC News has made a projection that a campaigner volition win.

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How agelong has it taken successful the past?

It's communal successful the US for it to instrumentality a mates of days to cognize who the adjacent president volition be.

The 2020 election's 4 time hold was an anomaly, but it paled successful examination to the 2000 election, erstwhile it took weeks.

Florida and its 25 Electoral College votes (it present has 30) were acceptable to determine the contention betwixt Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W Bush, whose member was Florida governor.

On predetermination nighttime connected 7 November, TV networks called the authorities for Gore earlier polls had closed everyplace successful the state. Later that evening, they reversed their stance and said it was excessively adjacent to call, past called it for Bush and past returned to "too adjacent to call".

A preliminary ballot tally the time aft the predetermination had Bush up by astir 1,700 votes successful Florida - truthful adjacent that authorities laws triggered an automatic instrumentality recount. The archetypal recount winnowed Bush's pb down to conscionable 317 votes.

The contented was astir Florida's punch-hole ballots and hanging chads - punched holes that mightiness inactive person a country intact - and however these were counted.

A ineligible conflict ensued that went close up to the US Supreme Court, which successful a 5-4 determination on ideological lines ruled that immoderate solution to the recount contented could not beryllium enactment successful spot by the deadline, frankincense handing the authorities to Bush.

What happens aft a victor is declared?

Whether a victor is declared connected the nighttime oregon successful the pursuing days, they aren't officially elected until the electoral votes are formally formed and counted.

Electors formed them connected 17 December, they are counted and certified by Congress connected 6 January and past the caller president volition instrumentality bureau aft being inaugurated connected 20 January.

Unlike the wide predetermination successful the UK, determination is simply a modulation play betwixt the predetermination effect and the caller president taking over.

During the gap, Mr Biden volition proceed arsenic president, with the predetermination victor known arsenic the president-elect until the transportation of powerfulness successful January.