US Election 2024: Final Result Could Take Days or Weeks

On the night of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, held on November 5, Americans hoping for quick results between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump may face a long wait. It will stay that way unless someone gains a decisive victory in Pennsylvania, where Trump edges 0.4 percentage point, or in several battleground states, according to The Hill. In other places, the absence of clear victory and the margins by which the candidates are behind could keep people waiting in lines for days or weeks for recounts, IANS said.

US Election 2024: Possible Delays and Legal Battles 

Traditionally, a candidate concedes and surrenders once the hopes fade, usually in the count of official tabulation, but Trump reveals that he may take an attitude similar to how he lost the 2020 elections, and even now in case he loses to Kamala Harris, his challenger could also follow Trump and begin legal battles in light of her narrow loss based on several hundred votes ahead of her opponent.

Both campaigns have built very large legal teams, to dispute results if necessary. This year's election brings to the fore the distinctive system of the U.S. electoral college: the president is not elected by popular vote but by an electoral college of 538 members divided by state population. In most states, all of its electoral votes are cast for the candidate who receives the most popular votes within that state, except in two smaller states.

Also Read: Maharashtra Elections 2024: Manoj Jarange Withdraws All Candidates from All 25 Seats

In close states, this process may delay the result because counting mail-in ballots and possible recounts is such a long process. This may lead to legal battles and delay, especially when neither of the candidates wins an apparent majority on election night and Americans have to wait nervously for the outcome.