Millions of voters are expected to be at the polls today, and the world will be watching anxiously as the election results continue to be announced on Tuesday night.
Here's what you need to know about the 2024 presidential election results.
These 'Bellweather' counties could decide the next president
Voters fill out their ballots at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library polling place in Simi Valley, California, on Election Day, November 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
When does voting close?
Kentucky (8 electors) will be the first state to close voting at 6pm Eastern.
Voting ends in most areas of the eastern half of the country between 7pm and 9pm, with voting on the West Coast ending at 11pm ET.
The last states to close voting are Hawaii (four electors) and Alaska (three electors), which close at midnight and 1 a.m., respectively.
When will the 2024 Election Day results be announced?
Election Day results have traditionally been announced several hours after polls close. However, recent elections have required longer wait times before all votes are counted and a winner is declared.
One reason for this is the widespread use of absentee voting by mail. Fourteen states legally require mail-in ballots to be counted only after polls close on Election Day.
Voting 2024: Here's when voting ends in all 50 states on Election Day
Chet Halhut, Assistant Elections Manager, carries mail-in ballots from a secure area of the Allegheny County Elections Department warehouse in Pittsburgh on Oct. 30. (AP/Matt Fried)
The first election results of the night are likely to begin being released after 7pm ET. In some key battleground states, such as Pennsylvania (19 electoral votes), results are likely to be known for a long time.
In 2020, news organizations covered the election in favor of President Biden four days after Election Day. In 2016, the race was called in Trump's favor at 3 a.m. the day after Election Day.
The closer we get to the election, the longer it will take to know the results. Unless one of the candidates wins an unexpected landslide victory, the winner of the 2024 presidential election may not be known until a day or days after Election Day.
Legal challenges by former President Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris could further delay the election results.
Vice President Kamala Harris leads a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania on November 4, 2024, the night before the election. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
What are the key states to watch on Election Day?
The 2024 presidential election is expected to be extremely close, with 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.
Seven states are considered close states: Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada. These states are likely to determine who will be the next president, and experts will be watching closely.
Here's when polls end in each battleground state:
7:00 p.m. Eastern – Georgia (16 electors)
7:30pm Eastern – North Carolina (16 electors)
8 p.m. ET – Pennsylvania (excluding Cambria County, which closes at 10 p.m. ET due to electronic voting system software issues)
9 p.m. Eastern – Michigan (15 electors), Arizona (11 electors), Wisconsin (10 electors)
10pm Eastern – Nevada (6 electoral votes)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Former President Trump and former first lady Melania Trump walk after voting at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center on Tuesday, November 5, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
How can I watch the election live?
You can stream Fox News' election coverage live online. You can also follow election results with Fox News Digital's live election blog.
