The US elections live: these are the most important moments

The US elections are in full swing.

You can follow the drama on Dagbladet live from 6pm.

We speak to our teams of reporters in the US and we are visited by experts with hard-hitting analysis and celebrities talking about America today.

All night

The first polling stations close at midnight, while in states like Alaska and Hawaii, the polls are open until 6 a.m. tomorrow.

However, shortly after one o’clock in the morning Norwegian time, the outcome of the elections can be as good as it is clear.

This is because the facilities in Florida, one of the biggest states in this year’s presidential election, will close.

The most important moments of the night

The first polling stations close at midnight, the last only at 6 am early Norwegian time.

Here is the overview of the most important statuses:

Midnight:

• Indiana – 11 electoral votes. The first state to close its polling stations. (most close at midnight, some close at 01)

01.00:

• Georgia – 16 electoral votes. Major Republican state leaning in Biden’s path
• Florida – 29 electoral votes. Perhaps the most important mooring state. Most constituencies close at 1 a.m. M., Some close at 2 a.m. M.

Fear America “violent and destructive”

01.30:

• Ohio – 18 electoral votes. Never has a candidate who has won both Ohio and Florida won the presidential election. It is one of the states where the election result can be delayed due to mail-in ballots.
• North Carolina – 15 electoral votes. Historically republican, with deposits of democratic electoral victories. Biden hardly leads.

02.00:

• Illinois – 20 electoral votes. Important democratic state, which Biden comfortably leads.
• Pennsylvania – 20 electoral votes. State of important inclination. In recent democratic times. Trump won in 2016, Biden hardly leads in 2020.

03.00:

• Arizona – 11 electoral votes. Historically Republican, but Biden hardly leads.
• Michigan – 16 electoral votes. Historically, democratically, but Trump won in 2016. Important status for both candidates, and Biden leads comfortably.
• Wisconsin – 10 electoral votes. Historically democratic, but Trump won in 2016. Biden clearly leads.
• Texas – 38 electoral votes. Historically Republican, but Trump hardly leads. If Biden wins here, the race could be over for Trump.
• New York – 29 electoral votes. Biden’s guaranteed win.

– Biden is a hideout for socialism

At 04.00:

• Iowa – 6 electoral votes. It was for Trump in 2016, and the president continues to lead, but Biden can win here.

At 05.00:

• California – 55 electoral votes

06:00

• Alaska (3 voters) and Hawaii (4 voters) are closing their polling places as the last of the US states.

Crucial for Trump

– The first thing to consider is the result in Florida and North Carolina. Give an indication of what the result will be like. These are two of the states that decide and come first, it will also mark the results of states such as Michigan, Minnesota and Arizona, but here it is more clarified in advance, says American researcher Svein Melby.

Both Florida and North Carolina allow early votes to be counted in advance, which is a different practice in the United States.

– Therefore, the result comes from there quite quickly. If Biden wins in Florida, there are many signs that he will win, says Svein Melby.

American researcher Hilmar Mjelde puts it even more clearly:

– If Trump does not win Florida, he has lost the elections.

Still enthusiasm for Trump’s win

If, on the contrary, it is Trump who takes the victory in Florida, and brings with him the 39 voters of the state, the tension remains alive, the two experts agreed.

– If Trump wins, he is in the highest degree in the fight, believes Mjelde. He explains this by saying that Biden, unlike Trump, has a chance to win even without Florida.

In the worst case, it can take a long time before we get a result.

– It can take several weeks or months, if there are legal disputes and the election is decided in court, like in 2000. If Biden wins clearly, we will probably get the result tonight. Otherwise, it will take time, says Mjelde.

Pennsylvania is an important state in that regard.

– evenly

Norway’s Janne (58) is a senator in the US.

Even if the polls here also close at 2 o’clock, it can take a long time to get the result, as the state does not allow early voting to open early.

– Pennsylvania may decide soon, but it will take longer. It’s also assumed to be very even here, which may take even longer to announce a winner, says Svein Melby.

The issue of early voting has already been dealt with in court. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court extended the deadline for receiving and counting advance votes until Friday, three days after the election, for Republican protests.

However, the United States Supreme Court has rejected the protests. But several of the conservative Supreme Court justices have suggested the case may end up on the table again, especially if it turns out that the last few votes tallied will be decisive for the outcome in the state. Trump has made it clear that he will not let this go:

– As soon as the polling stations close, we move in with our lawyers, he said.

Texas is important too

Texas, with its 38 voters, is also an important state to watch out for tonight.

He has historically been a Republican, but Trump’s leadership in the polls is far from comfortable.

– It is surprising that the polls now show a good march there. This may be due to a number of things, such as the fact that the composition of the population in the state is changing, Melby says.

If Biden wins here, the race may be over for Trump, he concludes.