Published 17:43 IST, November 3rd 2020
US election 2020: When to expect poll results?; check hour-by-hour guide here
As the much-awaited US Election 2020 day began, a record-shattering 98 million people have already voted through mail-in ballots or early in-person voting.
As the much-awaited Election Day began in the United States, a record-shattering 98 million people have already voted through mail-in ballots or early in-person voting. This year’s presidential election, pitting Democratic nominee Joe Biden and Republican leader Donald Trump, will be the first in history which more people vote in advance of election day than on it. With a massive surge in mail-voting, it is likely that the US citizens won’t know which candidate won many states, including key battlegrounds, on election night.
This year could make for some election night irregularities - results may come in more quickly than usual in some places while being delayed in others. Americans won’t have full results in the crucial swing states Michigan and Pennsylvania a few days after Election Day. However, there is also a possibility that the country might have a result in the presidential race by the end of the night if either candidate achieves decisive wins in key states.
What follows is a rough hour-by-hour guide to how the Election night could play out;
7pm EST on November 3 (5:30am IST on November 4)
The first US election results from any state will start dropping at 7pm EST. In the six of 50 states, including titanically important state of Florida, the last polls close at 7pm. As the results begin to come in, one can watch for Georgia trends as trump and Biden are running close. The five other states where one can expect results in the 7pm rundown are solidly Republican or Democrat. While Biden is a favourite in Vermont and Virginia, Trump is expected to snag South Carolina, Indiana and Kentucky.
7:30pm EST (6:00am IST)
About half an hour later, polls close in three more states, including North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia. Biden leads in North Carolina and Ohio and on the other hand, West Virginia is very red on the polls. North Carolina is also the state where the Democrats could get greedy, but there is also a possibility that Trump might just repeat his 2016 victory.
8:00pm EST (6:30am IST)
A total of 19 states close their polls. The list includes Pennsylvania and Florida. Maine’s second congressional district is also competitive. New results will also be coming in and two states, Michigan and Texas, will close some polling sites, with the rest closing at 9am EST. Because of the mail voting, Americans should, however, not expect winner projections from Penn State anytime soon. One candidate may snatch an early lead based on election day, the other may have an edge in mail votes.
9:00pm EST (7:30am IST)
The next flurry of polls closes in Texas, Arizona and Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional district. The US citizens can expect an early result in Colorado as well.
10:00pm EST (8:30am IST)
In Iowa, which is the last of the toss-up states, polls will close at 10pm EST. All the polls closing after Iowa are in states that are solid Republican or Democrat. Utah, where Trump’s margin will be of interest and Nevada, where it looks like Biden could have a surprisingly difficult race on his hands, will also close polls.
11:00pm EST (9:30am IST)
The polls close out west- in California, Oregon and Washington. If the presidential race is not close, the closure of polls in the aforementioned states will produce a definitive call of the race.
1:00am EST (11:30am IST)
Alaska and Hawaii are the last two in the bag, shattering at midnight. It is likely that by midnight networks won’t be able to announce the final winner but if the Florida result is in, Americans all have a good idea how which was it is tilting by then. By these times, the night would have revealed some big secrets.
Updated 17:41 IST, November 3rd 2020