When is winner of US elections announced? Here's what happens after voting day

The race for the presidency will be far from over on election day for Harris and Trump.

With just a day to go until the US Presidential elections, the race for the White House has reached its peak, with Democratic candidate and current Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump, finalising their closing arguments.

The polls open on November 5, drawing national attention to swing states that play a crucial role in determining the election outcome. The race for the presidency, nonetheless, doesn’t end on election day.  It, rather, marks the beginning of a complex process that spans nearly a quarter of a year from when ballots are cast to when the next president is sworn in.

How are things unfolding in the run up to November 5 elections? Live updates here.

Here’s a breakdown of what happens after a US presidential election, including key dates and likely scenarios:

Key dates to note:

November 6 - December 11: States certify election results

After votes are cast, states must certify the results, a process that varies by local and state laws. Certification can happen at both county and state levels, but all states must complete this process by December 11.

December 17: The Electoral College votes

In the US election system, voters technically cast their votes for electors who represent their state in the Electoral College. On December 17, these electors meet in their respective states to officially cast their votes for president and vice president. The certificates of these votes must be submitted to the US Senate president by the fourth Wednesday in December, which, this year, falls on Christmas.

January 3: Swearing-in of Congressional representatives and senators

Newly elected members of Congress are sworn in on this date. The vote certificates must also be delivered to Congress by this time.

January 6: Counting of Electoral College votes by Congress

On January 6, a special joint session of Congress is convened to officially count the Electoral College votes. The candidate who secures 270 votes or more is declared the elected president, with the same rule applying to the vice presidency. This date carries significant historical weight; it was on January 6, 2021, that supporters of then-President Trump stormed the Capitol to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s presidency.

Notably, this year, there is an interesting dynamic as Harris, both a candidate for president and the current vice president, will preside over the joint session of Congress.

January 20: Inauguration Day

The candidate who wins the most Electoral College votes is sworn in as president at noon, Washington time, officially beginning their four-year term. The new vice president is also sworn in.

Likely post-election scenarios 

According to constitutional lawyers cited in a Financial Times report, the upcoming election is poised to create one of two potential "day after" crises.

If Harris wins

A legal and information war could erupt aimed at preventing the certification of her victor. To mitigate this, says the Financial Times report, Harris would need to achieve a convincing win in at least five out of seven critical swing states. This cycle has seen rampant speculation surrounding conspiracy theories, particularly regarding non-citizen voting and voter rolls.

If Trump wins

Concerns would shift to January 21, the day after Trump is sworn in, as experts cited in the report express greater anxiety over what a second term for Trump could mean for the exercise of power than about the prospect of overturning a Harris victory.

Despite these scenarios, the Financial Times report notes that a narrow victory for Harris could still pose significant challenges. Unlike Biden’s clear win in 2020, reflected in polling averages over several months, Trump and Harris are currently polling within fractions of each other in critical states.

In 2020, major news outlets took four days to declare Biden's victory, largely due to delays in counting votes in key states like Pennsylvania. This was complicated by state laws that prevented election officials from pre-processing mail-in ballots before Election Day, meaning they could not remove ballots from their envelopes, verify signatures, or prepare them for counting until the official voting day.

Given the narrow margins expected, the counting process may be lengthy and contentious, states the report, with automatic recounts triggered in swing states if the margin is less than 0.5 percent, delaying final results by days or weeks.