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US presidential election 2024: When will we know who won the near-tie Trump-Harris race?

Here's a guide that explains how the US electoral college system works and what you can expect

Published: Sat 2 Nov 2024, 5:49 PM

Updated: Tue 5 Nov 2024, 9:56 AM

By
Web Desk

Photos: AFP / Reuters

All eyes are on the US as Americans are set to elect their next president. Will the Republican Donald Trump be able to secure re-election or will the country get its first woman president with Democrat Kamala Harris?

If you're new to the US presidential election, here's a primer that explains how it works and what you can expect from today and the next few days.

When is the US presidential election?

Though the official Election Day is set on Tuesday, November 5, most states offer some form of early voting, which allows Americans to avoid crowds.

More than 70 million ballots have so far been cast — including a record four million in Georgia, where Democrats seek to pull out all the stops to keep the state in their column.

Who's most likely to win?

Trackers in the US are showing a razor-thin gap in the race between Trump and Harris: At this point, it can be anybody's victory.

Opinion polls continue to show a tied race, particularly in the seven battleground states likely to determine the result in the US electoral college system.

How does the US presidential election work?

The US follows an electoral college system for presidential and vice-presidential elections.

Under this system, "electors" are selected for each state and these "electors" cast their votes for the top two positions. The 538 "electors" or members of the US Electoral College gather in their state's respective capitals after the presidential election to designate the winner.

A presidential candidate must obtain an absolute majority of the "electors" — or 270 of the 538 — to win.

So, how do these electors' votes reflect the citizens' choice?

Each vote that Americans cast goes to a statewide tally, according to an explainer on the US government's website.

"In 48 states and Washington, D.C., the winner gets all the electoral votes for that state. Maine and Nebraska assign their electors using a proportional system," it added.

This means it is possible for a candidate to win even if he or she got fewer votes from the general public. (Another explainer explores how this can happen. Click here.)