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Voting for US Presidential Elections is going on and everyone is eager to know the results. Millions of Americans have voted already. However, the election day has its own aura and excitement. Although we are eager to know the results, there is still time for that. The voting in various states closes at different time and different states have different rules as to the permissible time limit for postal votes to be accepted.
All of this can get very chaotic, so we are bringing you a timeline of what will happen next as per Indian Standard Time
November 4
3.30 am IST: Edison Research will release preliminary findings from its exit polls, which are based on in-person interviews with voters on Election Day, in-person interviews at early voting centers before Nov. 3, and telephone interviews with people who voted by mail.
The initial data will look at national and state voter sentiment and motivations, but not detailed percentage estimates. Results from ballot questions in individual states will be released after voting ends in the state.
Edison will refine and update its national and state exit poll results through the night, gathering more voter responses and adjusting the weightings to reflect turnout.
4:30-5:30 IST: Some polling stations begin to close in the Republican strongholds of Indiana and Kentucky, the first in the country to close.
5:30 am IST: Voting ends in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia and Vermont.
Some polling stations begin to close in Florida, but many remain open until 8 p.m. (local time)
The initial results from Florida could favor Biden due to the high volume of early ballots that the state began to scan more than three weeks ago; opinion polls suggest more Democrats voted early, whereas more Republicans waited until Election Day. If there is a "blue mirage," it will fade as more in-person ballots from Tuesday are tallied.
Click here for LIVE updates on US Election 2020
6:00 am: Polls close in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.
Like Florida, the initial results from North Carolina and Ohio could favor Biden because the states began to scan early ballots weeks before Election Day. A truer picture of the vote will emerge as more ballots are tabulated.
North Carolina counts ballots that arrive as late as Nov. 12 if they are postmarked by Nov. 3. Ohio accepts ballots 10 days after the election if they are postmarked by Nov. 2.
Also Read | Why Paneer Tikka was trending on US election day
6:30 am IST: Voting ends in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington D.C.
Pennsylvania does not begin to process early votes until Election Day and the state will accept mail-in ballots up to three days after the election if they are postmarked by Nov. 3. As a result, the initial vote counts from Pennsylvania may show a "red mirage" favoring Trump until the absentee ballots are counted, experts say.
7 am IST: Reuters expects to publish updated national exit poll results from Edison Research, with percentage estimates of support for Biden vs Trump.
Polling stations close in Arkansas.
7:30 am IST: Voting ends in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Like Pennsylvania, the early results from Michigan and Wisconsin are expected to favor Trump because ballots cannot be counted before Election Day. (Michigan does allow some ballots to be opened, but they cannot be counted.)
Arizona allows ballots to be scanned 14 days before the election.
8:30 AM IST: Polls close in Iowa, Montana, Nevada and Utah.
Iowa allows ballot envelopes to be opened on the Saturday before the election and tabulating to begin on Monday. Ballots postmarked by Nov. 2 can arrive as late as the Monday after the election.
Nevada allows ballot scanning to begin 14 days before the election, and accepts ballots up to seven days after the election if they are postmarked by Nov. 3.
9:30 am IST: Voting ends in California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
10:30 am IST: Polls close in Hawaii.
11:30 am IST: Voting ends in Alaska.
This was about closure of polls. Now let's see what is on cards in coming days. IST is ahead of timezones in the US by roughly 10-12 hours. The exact timing and day of the events in India described ahead will vary as per the time they are held in the US.
December 8
States have until this date, known as the "safe harbor" deadline under federal law, to resolve any disputes over their vote totals and certify the winner. If a state fails to finalize its vote count by then, Congress is no longer required to accept its results under the Electoral College system.
December 14
Members of the Electoral College cast their ballots for president. Under the U.S. system, the winner of each state`s popular vote earns that state`s electoral votes, which are apportioned by population. The candidate who receives a majority of the 538 electoral votes available, or 270, wins the presidency.
January 6, 2021
Congress meets at 1 p.m. in Washington to count the electoral votes and declare a winner.
January 20, 2021
Inauguration Day. The winner and his running mate are sworn in as president and vice president at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
(With Reuters inputs)