Election Day in the United States is less than a week away. Here’s what you need to know about the 2024 presidential election.

Who can vote?

In the United States, citizens must meet some very basic voting criteria in order to vote. You must be:

• A US citizen
• A resident of the state in which he or she registered to vote
• 18 years or older

Eligibility to vote can vary from state to state, especially when it comes to criminal convictions. For example, people with criminal records may be subject to restrictions in certain states, including permanent loss of the right to vote.

It is estimated that more than 230 million people in the United States are eligible to vote. But only about 160 million of them are registered voters, and not all of them will actually vote. In the 2020 election, voter turnout was around 66 percent of eligible voters, the highest it has been in more than a century.

How is the US election going?

US politics is dominated by two parties, the largely center-left liberal Democrats and the right-wing and conservative Republicans; Potential candidates vying for the presidential nomination emerge from both parties. To select their nominee, Democrats and Republicans hold primaries or caucuses in each state, culminating in the winner accepting the nomination at either the Republican or Democratic National Convention. This cycle now pits Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris against former Republican President Donald Trump.

US President Joe Biden had initially sought re-election to a second term but dropped out in July after a disastrous performance in the debate raised doubts about his ability to govern for another four years.

There are also third-party or independent candidates, such as Jill Stein of the Green Party, Chase Oliver of the Libertarian Party and anti-war scholar Cornel West.

In the election phase, presidential candidates nominate their own candidates — in this case, Democrat and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Republican Ohio Sen. JD Vance — who will become vice president if the candidate’s candidacy is successful. Voters then cast their votes for a president and vice president, and the results of that vote are then sent to the Electoral College.

Since 1845, elections in the USA have taken place on the first Tuesday in November. However, voters in most states also have the option to cast their ballot early, and more than 52 million votes have already been cast.

How does the electoral college work?

To understand how US elections work and how voters choose their next leader, one must understand the US electoral college.

Unlike members of the U.S. Congress, who are directly elected by voters, the U.S. president is not elected by a direct national vote. Instead, when Americans cast their ballot, they select a list of “electors” from their state who commit to voting for specific presidential and vice presidential candidates based on the votes cast in the state for each candidate. Once the votes are counted and certified, those voters officially cast their vote. The infographic below describes this process.

Want to learn more about the Electoral College? Watch the short explainer video below or read this brief overview.

How many votes does it take to win the election?

To win a US presidential election, 270 electoral votes are required, which is a majority of the total 538 electoral votes available.

This system can produce surprising results: a candidate can win the popular vote across the country but lose the Electoral College, which has happened five times in U.S. history. The most recent case occurred in 2016, when Trump won the presidency against Hillary Clinton despite trailing by nearly three million votes nationwide.

What do the polls say?

As Election Day approaches, Harris and Trump are neck-and-neck, competing fiercely for control of key swing states. We are closely monitoring the undecided voters in these states who could actually swing the race in either direction.

According to FiveThirtyEight’s poll tracker, Harris has a slim 1.5-point lead nationally, although Trump has almost closed the gap. A Reuters/Ipsos poll puts Harris ahead by just one point, within the margin of error.

Trump leads on economic and immigration issues, while Harris has a narrowing lead on political extremism.

Swing states like Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona have razor-thin margins. Although national polls are in Harris’ favor, the Electoral College outcome remains uncertain, reflecting the unpredictability of past elections.

When will we find out who won? When will the results be announced?

It’s in the air. It is highly unlikely that a winner will be determined on election night. However, it is not impossible. Historically, a winner was announced the evening or morning after the election.

As polls close across the country on Election Day, the media will report results in real time, with results coming in first from the Eastern Time Zone. Final counts may not be available immediately, especially given the increasing number of absentee and absentee ballots. In some cases, states have laws that allow ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted, even if they arrive later. This process may cause delays in certain states, particularly those with tight margins.

These delays could be exploited by Trump to spread the narrative that the election was stolen, as he falsely tried to do in 2020. The party has more support in cities where it takes longer to count votes, and because Trump has his supporters discouraged the use of postal ballots.

If no candidate receives 270 electoral votes, a quota election takes place. The House of Representatives elects the president, with each state casting one vote, and the Senate elects the vice president. A House candidate needs a majority (26 states) to win. This rare occurrence last occurred in 1824, when John Quincy Adams was elected to the House of Representatives after Andrew Jackson won the popular and electoral votes but failed to achieve a majority.

What are the key dates to watch?

• Election Day: November 5th – Most Americans vote in person or by mail.
• Certification deadlines: November 6th – December 11th – States certify election results within this period.
• Electoral College vote: December 17th – Voters meet to cast their official votes.
• Congress counts the electoral votes: January 6, 2025 – Congress meets to count and certify the electoral votes.
• Inauguration Day: January 20, 2025 – The elected president is sworn in, marking the transfer of power.