The outcome of the 2024 presidential election on Nov. 5 will likely depend on the results in seven battleground states.
These battleground states, also known as swing or purple states, are where support for Democratic and Republican candidates has been evenly split in recent elections. The current swing states are Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia.
Most other states consistently lean towards one political party and are not considered competitive.
These battleground states hold a total of 93 out of the nation’s 538 electoral votes. In order to win the presidency, a candidate needs to secure at least 270 electoral votes, which is more than half of the total.
The time it will take for Americans to know the results in these swing states varies depending on the election laws of each state.
State Election Laws Differ
Under the U.S. Constitution, each state is responsible for conducting its own elections.
Unofficial results are often reported shortly after polls close, sometimes within hours. News organizations typically declare projected winners of national races within hours or by the following morning.
However, the official results take longer to finalize for several reasons.
State laws differ on when to count mailed-in, dropped off, or early in-person voting ballots.
All seven battleground states allow some form of absentee or mail-in voting and offer early in-person voting, which is currently underway in most states.
Some states permit early ballot counting before Election Day, while others require counting to begin after polls close.
In some states, mailed ballots postmarked by Nov. 5 will still be counted even if received after Election Day. The deadline for receiving such ballots varies by state.
Poll workers demonstrate how ballots are received, processed, scanned, and securely stored on Election Day during a press tour by the Philadelphia City Commissioners, at the Philadelphia Election Warehouse in Philadelphia on Oct. 25, 2024.
Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images
Verifying Voters
Counting ballots not cast in person can take more time.
Some states, such as Arizona, Nevada, and Michigan, require verification of a voter’s signature on a mail-in ballot.
In Georgia, officials must match the driver’s license or state-issued ID number on the ballot with voter records.
Wisconsin mandates that an adult witness sign the returned ballot to verify the voter filled it out.
In North Carolina, absentee voters must sign a certificate witnessed by a notary or two adults.
Provisional ballots can further complicate the process.
Provisional ballots are typically used when a voter’s name is not on the registered voter list at a precinct.
These ballots are kept separate and only counted if the voter’s eligibility is confirmed after the polls close.
Even after all ballots are tallied, the results are not official.
Each state has a canvassing period and certification process where officials formally certify the results, usually about three weeks after Election Day.
Voters cast their ballots during Michigan’s early voting period in Dearborn, Mich., on Oct. 29, 2024.
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
Arizona
Arizona has 11 electoral votes and approximately 4.4 million registered voters.
In the 2020 election, Joe Biden won Arizona by a narrow margin, defeating incumbent Trump by less than 10,500 votes or 0.3%.
The registration deadline for this election cycle in Arizona was Oct. 7. Early in-person voting began two days later and continued until 7 p.m. on Nov. 1.
Voters on the Active Early Voting List receive a mail-in ballot automatically, which can be returned by mail or dropped off at polling places.
Counties can start tabulating these ballots after early voting begins. Ballots received on Election Day will be counted in the following days.
Prior to counting, election officials must verify the signature on each ballot envelope.
Members of the military and overseas citizens can vote by fax or secure online systems. Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Anyone attempting to vote on Election Day has the right to cast a ballot. Provisional ballots will only be counted if the voter’s eligibility is verified by the county recorder.
Polling locations in Arizona’s 15 counties close at 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Voting is open to anyone in line at that time. Once the polls close, ballots are counted either at the polls or at a central counting location in the county. Arizona offers live streaming of county vote-tabulation rooms and provides details online about the security measures for electronic voting equipment. Maricopa County, with over 2.4 million registered voters, accounts for more than 60% of the state’s electorate. The county counts votes at its centralized location, where they provide live streams of the process. It may take up to 13 days to tabulate election results.
In Nevada, all active registered voters received mail-in ballots, with most voting early or by absentee ballot. The state has six electoral votes and nearly 2.4 million registered voters. Mailed ballots in Nevada must be postmarked by Election Day and received within four days. Early in-person voting started on Oct. 19, and results cannot be released before polls close on Election Day. Nevada law prohibits the early release of results to maintain ballot secrecy. The state allows same-day voter registration and voting. Officials in Nevada aim to speed up results by starting to tabulate early votes and mail-in ballots on Election Day. Clark County, the largest county with 71% of voters, has numerous polling and drop box locations. The results will be available online once all polls are closed and the last voter has cast their ballot. Results are expected to be regularly updated until the final update following the canvassing of the vote by the counties. Ballots are tabulated on voting devices and saved on removable media, which are then taken by two election board members to a receiving center or counting place as required by Nevada law. The law specifies that these election board members should be of different political parties if practical. Members of the general public are permitted to observe the delivery of the voting components and the vote-counting process. Nevada’s electronic voting system is not connected to a network or the Internet, and it cannot connect wirelessly. All components undergo testing and audits before being used, and they have a chain of custody with tamper-evident security seals. Access to the components is restricted to authorized personnel. City or county clerks oversee the operation of the central counting places. Once all returns from precincts and districts are received by the county commissioners, the board will meet to canvass the returns. Counties have up to 10 days to certify elections.
In 2020, the Nevada GOP filed a lawsuit alleging fraud, delaying the finalization of the election until the state’s Supreme Court certified the results on Nov. 24. This year, Nevada’s deadline to certify election results is Nov. 26 according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Wisconsin, with 10 electoral votes and over 3.5 million active registered voters, has sent out more than 1.1 million absentee ballots as of Oct. 29, with over 511,000 returned. Absentee ballots must be returned by mail or in person at a drop-off location by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. The ballots are tabulated at polling places on Election Day and must include signatures from the voter and a witness. Wisconsin law requires voters to show a photo ID that meets state standards when voting on Election Day. The state has a three-step process for certifying elections. After polls close, ballots are entered into machines, and local canvassers convene to transmit results to county clerks, who post unofficial results on their websites. Wisconsin does not have a statewide system for reporting unofficial results on Election Night. Counties have 14 days to transmit certified results to the state, with this year’s deadline being Nov. 19. Michigan, with 15 electoral votes and over 8.4 million registered voters, uses paper ballots tabulated in precinct tabulators. The state allows poll watchers to observe the process, and early in-person voting is open at regional sites within each county. Absentee ballots are securely received and stored by township clerks. Mailed absentee ballots must be received by the voter’s local clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day, while military and overseas ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 5 and received within six days after Election Day. As of Nov. 2, nearly 2.8 million voters in Michigan had voted early or returned an absentee ballot, representing about 38 percent of the electorate. The state updates the numbers daily online. Cities and townships can begin processing and tabulating absentee ballots early after providing written notice to the secretary of state. However, the vote count cannot be totaled, and election results cannot be generated, printed, or reported before 8 p.m. on Election Day. Precinct officials ensure the number of ballots cast matches the number of voters who received a ballot. Results are printed, and memory sticks are sealed in tamper-proof envelopes. The results are then delivered to the county clerk. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson estimates that unofficial election results for Michigan will be available by the end of the day on Nov. 6. The Board of State Canvassers audits and certifies the election results, with a deadline of Nov. 19. The state must canvass and certify the election results by Nov. 25. Polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day. In Pennsylvania, ballots cannot be opened until 7 a.m. on Election Day, with mail-in ballots counted on the morning of Election Day. Canvassing of election results by county boards begins on Nov. 8, with final certification by Nov. 25. In North Carolina, in-person early voting started on Oct. 17 and ended on Nov. 2, with over 4.1 million ballots cast as of Nov. 1. At 3 p.m., a record 353,166 ballots were accepted at polling sites statewide on the first day, according to preliminary North Carolina State Board of Elections data, surpassing the previous first-day record set in 2020 by 1.3 percent.
In Georgia, absentee ballots undergo verification by elections workers upon receipt. Each ballot is cross-checked with an official photo ID on file with the state, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.
On Election Day, the tabulation of early and absentee ballots begins at 7 a.m., according to the spokesperson. To be counted, absentee ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Nov. 5.
All voting data, including the scanner memory card, paper ballots, voting machine access cards, and electronic poll books with voter information, are sealed in containers for delivery to the county election superintendent by the poll manager and at least one other poll worker or law enforcement officer.
The rules specify that the counting process must continue until all results are tabulated, except in cases of emergencies. The final results are then reported to the secretary of state.
Lee County poll workers look for watermarks on voting paper during poll worker training in Leesburg, Ga., on Oct. 2, 2024. Becca Milfeld/AFP via Getty Images
In 2020, a reported water leak, initially described as a burst pipe, caused a delay of several hours in the counting process at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena polling station in Fulton County.
Following the election, paper ballots are stored by the clerk of the county superior court with other county records. If there are no challenges to the election, the ballots may be destroyed after two years.
State regulations mandate that each county election board convene by 3 p.m. on the Friday after the election, which this year falls on Nov. 8, to review precinct returns.
The election results must be certified by 5 p.m. on the Monday after Election Day, which this year coincides with Veterans Day. Therefore, the deadline will be extended to Nov. 12.
However, even the certification deadline is the subject of a legal dispute in Georgia.
Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
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