While the counting of votes is still ongoing and a winner has not been declared in all states, Donald Trump won 276 large voters, surpassing the threshold of 270 that guaranteed him victory.
Trump returns to the White House after his 2016 victory and after losing the clash with Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.
Polls closed at 20:00 EST in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Washington, DC.
At 20:30 EST (02:30 in Italy) the polls closed in Arkansas.
The race focused on seven decisive states, which pundits believed could be won by both Harris and Trump, even before the vote. Early voting participation was high, both in person and by mail, with record numbers in Georgia.
Georgia - Polls closed at 19:00 EST (01:00 in Italy). After the CNN projections, the Associated Press also called Donald Trump's victory in Georgia. The state has allocated 16 electoral votes.
North Carolina - Trump also won Georgia's 16 at-large voters. The polls closed 30 minutes after Georgia's. In the past, North Carolina has counted votes quickly. This year the counting was slower in the western counties devastated by Hurricane Helene as residents were given additional options for returning ballots.
Pennsylvania - Voting ended at 20:00 EST (02:00). After Fox news, CNN also gave Pennyslvania and its 19 electoral votes to Donald Trump, who had thus reached 265 electoral votes.
Michigan - Voting ended at 21:00 EST (03:00). The result is not expected until late Wednesday at the earliest: Michigan has not yet been called, even though Trump is given the lead.
Wisconsin - Trump won Wisconsin with his 10 big voters.
Arizona - The first results could have arrived as early as 10pm EST (04:00), but the state's largest county suggests not expecting the data until early Wednesday morning. Postal ballots delivered on election day could take up to 13 days to be counted.
Nevada - Here, too, the count could take days. The state allows mailed ballots as long as they are sent on election day and received by 9 November. The first polling stations closed at 18:00 EST (24:00) on Tuesday and the last at 01:00 EST (07:00) on Wednesday.
Gli Stati Uniti al voto, Washington blindata dice no alla violenza
Why do we need to be cautious with early voting data?
In some presidential elections, the winner was declared late on election night or in the early hours of the following day. This time, the tight competition in many states could lead to a longer wait before announcing a winner.
Narrow victories could also lead to recounts. In Pennsylvania, for example, a crucial state, a recount is required if the difference between the votes of the winner and loser is half a percentage point.
Legal challenges are also not ruled out: more than 100 pre-election lawsuits have already been filed, mostly by Republicans challenging voter eligibility and voter list management.
Other factors that could delay the results include possible electoral unrest, especially at polling stations.
When were the results of previous presidential elections announced? In 2020, American television networks declared Joe Biden the winner only four days after the election, when the result in Pennsylvania became clearer.
In other recent elections, the wait has generally been shorter. In 2016, Trump was declared the winner shortly before 03:00 EST (09:00 Italian time), a few hours after the polls closed. In 2012, when Barack Obama won his second term, his victory was announced before midnight on the same election night.
The exceptional case was the 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. The race was decided after five weeks, when the US Supreme Court decided to stop the recount in Florida, thus awarding victory to Bush.
What happens if the results of the presidential election are contested?
After every valid vote has been included in the final results, a process known as the Electoral College comes into play. In each state, a variable number of electoral votes can be won, and it is these - and not just the support of voters - that decide the election to the presidency. Typically, states award all their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote, confirming them at meetings to be held on 17 December.
After the 2020 election, Trump refused to acknowledge defeat and incited his supporters to march on Capitol Hill just as Congress was meeting to certify Biden's victory. He asked his deputy, Mike Pence, to reject the results, but Pence refused. Even after the riots were quelled and members of Congress resumed session, 147 Republicans voted, unsuccessfully, to overturn Trump's defeat. Electoral reforms introduced since then have made it more difficult for legislators to challenge the certified results sent in by individual states, and also clarified that the vice-president does not have the power to unilaterally reject electoral votes. Nevertheless, election observers believe there may be attempts to delay the certification of the 2024 vote at the local and state level.
When will the presidential inauguration take place?
The president-elect will begin his term in office after being inaugurated on Monday, 20 January 2025, near the US Capitol complex. It will be the 60th presidential inauguration in US history. The event will see the new president swear to uphold the Constitution, followed by the inaugural address.
The forecast according to the NYT
According to the New York Times, Georgia should count the votes quickly (but watch the margin), as should North Carolina (under the new rules). Pennsylvania, on the other hand, will perhaps take longer than election night. While Michigan may prove faster than in the past. Wisconsin, on the other hand, will finish most of the counting on Wednesday. Arizona and Nevada could take days.
