Mon Nov 04 22:06:20 UTC 2024: ## Close Race Expected as Harris and Trump Battle for White House

**WASHINGTON** – The 2024 US presidential election is set to be one of the most closely watched and consequential in history, with Kamala Harris and Donald Trump facing off in a heated contest for the White House.

Polls are set to close across the country on Tuesday, November 5th, 2024, marking the end of a contentious campaign season. The winner will be inaugurated on January 20th, 2025, taking the helm of a nation facing complex challenges.

The race is expected to be tight, with several key battleground states likely determining the outcome. Pennsylvania, a state that has proven pivotal in recent elections, is once again expected to be a key factor. Trump will also need to flip Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Nevada, which Biden narrowly carried in 2020.

While Florida and Ohio have historically been safe Republican territory, the outcome remains uncertain this year.

The majority of voters will cast their ballots in person on Election Day, while many have already voted early or by mail. While polls open as early as 6am in some states, they generally close around 7pm local time, with the later closing times on the west coast leading to a gradual unveiling of results.

Major news networks will be closely watching the results, calling states for Harris or Trump based on early projections. While solidly Democrat and Republican states may be declared quickly, the close contest in swing states could take hours, or even days, to resolve.

The 2020 election saw Pennsylvania remain undecided for four days after the election, highlighting the potential for delayed results. A total of 270 electoral votes are needed to win the presidency, with each state allocated a fixed number of electoral votes based on population. The winner of the popular vote in each state typically wins all of that state’s electoral votes.

The 2024 race is expected to be highly contested, with the outcome likely not being projected for days, if not weeks. Even then, the results are not finalized for months, though states and the overall election result are usually called before final vote counts.

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