With the United States presidential election looming, former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris are conducting rival rallies in a race that will ultimately determine who becomes the 47th president of the nation. This election, set for November 5, will be unique as it will be decided through the Electoral College rather than a straightforward popular vote, highlighting one of the most distinctive aspects of American democracy.
Understanding the Electoral College System
The Electoral College is a system established to elect the president, consisting of delegates from each state who cast votes based on their party affiliation. When Americans go to the polls on Election Day, they are actually voting for a slate of electors pledged to their chosen candidate. These electors then have the authority to select the next president.
Each state has a designated number of electoral votes, determined by adding two votes for its senators to the number of representatives it has in the House. To secure the presidency, a candidate must obtain a majority of 270 out of the 538 available electoral votes.
Winner-Takes-All: The Electoral College Mechanism
In most states, the Electoral College operates under a winner-takes-all system. This means that the candidate who wins the majority of the popular vote in a state is awarded all of that state’s electoral votes. This structure can lead to scenarios where a candidate wins the presidency without winning the popular vote.
The most notable example occurred in the 2016 election, when Donald Trump won the presidency despite losing the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton by nearly three million votes. Trump secured 306 electoral votes by winning pivotal states, including Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, and Wisconsin. He famously described his victory as “beautiful,” despite the electoral disconnect.
Focusing on Battleground States
Candidates often prioritize campaigning in “swing states,” where either party has a viable chance of winning. These states are crucial due to their significant electoral vote count, which can ultimately decide the election outcome. This year, seven states are identified as battlegrounds: Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
On December 17, electors from the Electoral College will convene in their respective state capitals to cast their votes for the president and vice president. Congress will then meet on January 6, 2025, to certify the election results, with the inauguration of the new president scheduled for January 20.
Established in 1787 by the US Constitution, the Electoral College was designed as a compromise between direct elections and congressional selection of the president. Founding father Alexander Hamilton supported this system, believing it would ensure that a president would be chosen based on “characters pre-eminent for ability and virtue” rather than mere popularity.
Voting Schedule for the Upcoming Election
Polling in the United States will commence on November 5, with voting hours varying across time zones. Polling stations will open between 7 am and 9 am local time, which translates to approximately 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm Indian Standard Time (IST). Most stations will close between 7 pm and 11 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST), equivalent to 5:30 am to 9:30 am IST on November 6.
In battleground states, polls will also close between 7 pm and 11 pm EST.
Expectations for Election Results
Results from the election are anticipated to begin rolling in shortly after polls close in various states. However, reporting may be delayed in some battleground states due to specific regulations governing ballot counting. For instance, Pennsylvania does not allow mail-in ballots to be counted until Election Day, which means the results there may take several days to finalize. In the 2020 election, Pennsylvania took four days to declare a winner.
In Georgia, state law mandates that all early votes must be reported by 8 pm EST, while North Carolina expects to count votes throughout the evening, with complete results projected by midnight. Nevada, known for accepting late-arriving mail ballots, may not have results available on election night, as evidenced by delays in previous elections.
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