Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will compete in the U.S. presidential election on November 5. With mail-in ballots and a potentially close race, it could take days to determine the election outcome.
Key Election Timeline
– Oct. 1: Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance and Democratic counterpart Tim Walz will participate in a debate hosted by CBS News.
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– Nov. 5: Election Day arrives.
Late November: Results may be delayed, particularly in a close race with significant mail-in voting.
– Nov. 26: Trump, who is the first former or sitting U.S. president convicted of a crime, is scheduled for sentencing in the Manhattan hush money case, where he was found guilty of document falsification related to a payment made to silence a porn star. Trump denies any wrongdoing; sentencing was originally set for September 18.
Electoral Process and Deadlines
– Dec. 17: Electors of the Electoral College will meet in their states and the District of Columbia to cast votes for president and vice president.
– Dec. 25: Electoral votes must be submitted to the President of the Senate, a role currently held by Harris, and to the National Archives.
– Jan. 6, 2025: Harris will oversee the Electoral College vote count in a joint session of Congress, announcing the elected candidates. This session is especially significant, as it follows the events of January 6, 2021, when the Capitol was stormed by Trump supporters attempting to halt the certification of Biden’s victory.
Following that event, Congress enacted the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022, which increases the requirement for contesting a state’s results from one member of each chamber to one-fifth of both the House and Senate.
– Jan. 20, 2025: The inauguration ceremony will take place, officially swearing in the elected president and vice president.
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