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Although President Donald Trump tried to declare his electoral victory before the vote counting ended, the contest remains extremely close, especially in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. US federal law establishes a specific election calendar and the vote count could take until November 23, according to CNN.
Election Day – November 3
Although millions of Americans have already cast their votes in the weeks leading up to Election Day, November 3, federal law in the United States requires elections to be held on the first Tuesday in November. Votes are counted nationwide on Election Day, and while a preliminary result may be announced, the counting continues until the last vote.
Vote counting – between November 4 and 23
The actual counting of many of the votes takes place between November 3 and 23. The vote-by-mail may be dated November 3 or the date of the election, if it is another year, and may arrive after this date. They will be considered valid and counted, depending on the legislation of each state and the way in which voting by mail is regulated. However, they can only arrive before November 23, one day before the November 24 deadline for each state to certify their results. Competitive states like North Carolina and Pennsylvania receive votes by mail, for example, before November 6, while states like Minnesota and Nevada receive them before November 10.
Certification of results – between November 10 and December 11
Each state certifies its results according to a different schedule, and the date may change depending on the resolution of possible tally or other legal cases.
Electoral College Meets – December 14
In the first month after the second Wednesday in December, US federal law stipulates that the Electoral College meets and elects the president and vice president of the United States. Some states provide in their legislation the obligation that voters vote exactly with the results of the popular vote in that state, there are monetary penalties for voters who change their vote and become “disbelievers.”
On December 23, the votes arrive in Washington DC
On January 3, the members of the new Congress, elected at the same time as the president, take office.
The results of the elections are certified and the president-elect takes the oath – January 6 / January 20
On January 6, the votes are counted in the Electoral College in Congress and the result is certified, if a candidate reaches 270 votes.
On January 20, the president-elect is sworn in in a ceremony at the White House and assumes office for four years.
Publisher: Adrian Dumitru
