The long-awaited match-up between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump starts today (11/5/24) after Joe Bidenʼs unexpected exit following their first debate showdown
Pennsylvania with its 19 electoral-votes stands as the main battle-ground; while Arizona Georgia Wisconsin and Nevada remain critical swing-states that could decide Americas next leader. Florida and Ohio (once considered up-for-grabs) now lean towards the GOP
Most polling-places open around 6am local-time and voters can choose between:
* In-person voting at designated locations
* Mail-in ballots
* Early-voting options
The vote-counting process kicks-off as polls close around 7pm in each time-zone - but dont expect quick results. Some states might take days to process all votes (especially mail-in ballots)
The electoral-map starts filling up from east-to-west: early calls will come from predictable states like Vermont and Kentucky while swing-states remain too-close to call. Each candidate needs 270 electoral-votes to claim victory - a number thats harder to reach than it seems. Maine and Nebraska use special district-based systems instead of winner-take-all rules
The night unfolds hour-by-hour with safe Republican states (like Wyoming Indiana) and Democratic strongholds (such as California New York) being called first; however the real drama happens in battleground territories where every vote counts