Guide for the November 5th elections in the United States, the most important in its history

It will likely take several days to know the result of the presidential election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

Kamala Harris Donald Trump
Debate presidencial Estados Unidos La candidata demócrata Kamala Harris saluda al candidato republicano Donald Trump previo a comenzar el debate presidencial que se realizó en el National Constitution Center de Filadelfia el martes 10 de septiembre. (Alex Brandon/AP)

The United States is the most important country in the Western world and every four years it has presidential elections, but the ones it will experience in November have been rated as the most important in its history, even more so than the one that pitted Joe Biden against Donald Trump in 2020.

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Therefore, the 300 million Americans and a good part of the world will be on edge to find out the results of such a momentous process.

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For that, we provide you with a comprehensive guide to understand what will happen that day, including the details of the election system of the United States, which is special and unique in the world.

When are the presidential elections in the United States?

On Tuesday, November 5th is actually the last day to vote. In several states, votes can already be sent by mail, and in many others, in-person voting has already begun.

Who are the main presidential candidates?

  • Kamala Harris, 60 years old on election day, Democratic Party candidate. She is the current Vice President of the United States.
  • Donald Trump, 78 years old on election day, Republican Party candidate. He was President of the United States from 2016-2020.

Are there other presidential candidates in the United States?

Yes, but none will appear on the ballots of all states and the District of Columbia (Washington). However, many states also accept writing in a candidate's name on the ballot as a valid vote.

  • Chase Oliver, 39 years old on the day of the elections, candidate for the Libertarian Party. He will appear on the ballots in 47 states.
  • Jill Stein, 74 years old on election day, candidate of the Green Party. She will appear on the ballots in 39 states.
  • Cornel West, 71 years old on the day of the elections, independent candidate. He will appear on the ballot in 19 states.

Who are the vice presidential candidates of the two main parties?

  • Democratic Party: Tim Walz, 60 years old. Current governor of Minnesota.
  • Republican Party: J.D. Vance, 40 years old. Senator from Ohio.

How is the president elected in the United States?

The presidential election system in the United States is unique, an indirect suffrage through electors, defined by the government itself as "a midpoint between the popular vote of the citizen and the vote of Congress".

Each state has an assigned number of "electors" depending on its parliamentary representation. California, for example, has the highest number with 54 (two senators and 52 representatives in the House). There are many states that only have three "electors".

In the ballot, each citizen votes for their preferred presidential candidate, and the one with the most votes in a particular state gets all the "electors."

Are there states that do not allocate all their "electors" to the candidate with the most votes?

Yes, two: Nebraska and Maine. They award "two electors" to the candidate with the most votes at the state level and then one for each congressional district (three in Nebraska and two in Maine).

How many members are in the Electoral College?

In total there are 538 electors and 270 votes are needed to win the presidential election.

Who are the electors?

Political parties in each state choose their own list of potential electors. However, who is selected to participate as an elector, how they are chosen, and when they are chosen varies by state.

Although the Constitution does not require electors to vote for the candidate chosen by the popular vote of their state, some states do so. If an elector votes for someone else, they may be fined, disqualified, and replaced by an alternate elector, or they could even be prosecuted by their state.

How will the presidential election in the United States be defined?

It is estimated that it will be one of the most closely contested in history. There is a consensus among the media and analysts, based on the history of some states and the polls, that Kamala Harris would have a base of 226 electoral votes and Donald Trump, 219. In this scenario, there are seven undecided states that will determine the next election:

  • Pennsylvania: 19 electoral votes
  • Georgia: 16 electoral votes
  • North Carolina: 16 electoral votes
  • Michigan: 15 electoral votes
  • Wisconsin: 10 electoral votes
  • Arizona: 11 electoral votes
  • Nevada: 6 electoral votes

What other elections will take place on November 5th?

The 435 seats in the House of Representatives will be chosen, the lower chamber in the United States Congress, which is completely renewed every two years.

In addition, 34 out of the 100 seats in the Senate will be up for vote.

As if that were not enough, 11 governors will be elected in the United States plus two in the territories of Puerto Rico and American Samoa.

What time do polling stations close on November 5th?

The closing times of polling places vary by state, but in several of them, they start at 7 pm Eastern Time in the United States, with some cases where they extend until 8 pm.

What time will the results of the presidential elections be known?

Officially, vote counting takes a few days, but regardless of that, the media outlets have experience and work with statisticians, pollsters, and specialists that allow them to announce the result of a state even minutes after the polls close.

However, in the case of the election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, it is estimated that it will be so close that the winner will take several days to be known, especially in states like Pennsylvania and Georgia. In 2020, only three days after the voting, major news outlets such as CNN, NBC, The Associated Press, and Fox News declared Biden the winner in Pennsylvania, allowing him to surpass the minimum of 270 electoral votes.

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