What Time Do They Start Counting the Votes? Understanding the Election

Election Day 2024 is here, and voters want to know who the president-elect is as soon as possible. Learn how ballot counting is done, here.

Now that Election Day is here, voters don’t want a repeat of 2020. During that election, President Joe Biden‘s victory against Donald Trump wasn’t announced until four days later. Americans anxiously awaited the outcome against the world’s largest issue at the time: the COVID-19 pandemic. In some states, early and mail-in ballots aren’t counted until the day of the presidential election. And this time around, 75 million voters chose to cast their ballots before November 5. So, when does the vote counting process officially begin?

Below, learn about the vote-counting process as Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris race to the White House.

When Do They Start Counting the Votes?

The vote counting process varies state by state. Several do not permit the counting of mail-in ballots to begin until Election Day.

In Pennsylvania, the count began on Election Day, November 5, 2024. All mail-in ballots are reportedly counted first, along with the early ballots and in-person ballots. In the swing state, the in-person votes are counted through each polling location’s electronic devices, so those could be tallied relatively quickly after the polls close. Nevertheless, counting all the early votes could still take time — even days to process.

However, other states began tallying votes slightly earlier. In New Hampshire, for example, the small town of Dixville Notch began counting at midnight on November 5. Just six votes were cast, and it was a tie between Harris and Trump.

Since the process varies, there is no set time for all states to start counting votes.

What Time Do the Polls Close?

Poll closures vary by county. Some locations close at 8 p.m., while others shut down at 9 p.m. local time. It’s vital for voters to check their voting place’s poll hours.

Who Is the Projected Winner of the 2024 Election?

Most people are aware that the 2024 election is extremely close. Some polls point to a Harris win, while others indicate a Trump victory.

According to FiveThirtyEight, the political website predicts that Harris will win “50 times out of 100,” and Trump is projected to win “49 times out of 100″ from its 1,000 election simulations. Per the website, out of the 1,000 simulations, Harris won by 503, Trump received 495 and two outcomes ended up with no winner.

Since voting has just begun, it’s too close to call based on fluctuating opinions and polls.