When Will We Know the Results of the 2024 Election?

Voting in the 2024 election is already underway, and while November 5th is the last day to vote, we may not know the outcome of the presidential race on Tuesday night. In 2020, the last time Americans chose a president, the Associated Press did not officially call the presidential race until the Saturday after election day. Given how close the presidential election has been this year, it may take days for election officials to count every vote. 

While an official call on election night is always possible, it’s likely that we may have to wait. Here’s when we’re likely to get official results from historically contested states and what to look out for in the days and weeks ahead.

When We’ll Know the Results of the 2024 Election in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Elsewhere

State laws vary in how election officials count votes cast by mail, so we likely will know the results of these historically closely contested states in these timeframes: 

Arizona: Two to four days post-election 

Georgia: Election night 

Michigan: Two to three days post-election 

Nevada: Maximum of four days post-election 

North Carolina: Election night or the day after the election

Pennsylvania: Friday after the election 

Wisconsin: Election night or the day after the election

Support Election Officials To Make Sure Every Vote Is Counted

Behind every ballot is a person who took the time to go to the polls, a poll worker who woke up before sunrise, a volunteer who spent their weekend registering and educating voters in their community, and a family member who called their loved ones to make plans to vote. Honor the time that millions of people have put into the voting process and support election officials to count every vote. 

When Will the Presidential Election Be Certified?

Tides Foundation’s Healthy Democracy Fund and other pro-democracy funders have supported preparation for many scenarios that may arise between November 5, 2024, and January 6, 2025. We have funded community organizations to assist voters in fixing technical errors on mail-in ballots, safety and security firms to de-escalate intimidation of voters and election workers, and voting rights lawyers to challenge voter suppression and election interference. 

Here are some key dates related to the certification of the presidential election: 

November 5, 2024: This is the last day to vote in the 2024 Election 

November 5 – December 11, 2024: After polls close, election officials complete the process of counting the votes and certifying the results, which takes place in the subsequent days or weeks depending on state law. 

No later than December 11, 2024: The executive of each state, usually the governor, issues a certificate of the names of the electors for the president and vice president. 

Tuesday, December 17, 2024: Electors meet and vote in their states. 

Wednesday, December 25, 2024: The president of the Senate receives certificates from each state. 

Friday, January 3, 2025: 119th Congress convenes. 

Monday, January 6, 2025: Congress counts electoral votes. 

What To Do in the Days and Weeks After the Election

An unprecedented wave of disinformation about noncitizen voting and continued myths about voter fraud after the 2020 election have eroded trust in the election process among millions of Americans. In the days after the election, bad actors likely will continue their disinformation campaigns to contest the results of fair elections at the municipal/county, state, and federal levels. 

In this time of uncertainty and rising tensions, here’s what you can do: 

Avoid sharing mis- and disinformation: Check out this useful guide from NPR, and consider the trustworthiness of the news sources. 

Follow trusted organizations: Election denial will start at the county-level and escalate to state legislatures. Organizations like All Voting Is Local, a Healthy Democracy Fund grantee, are at the helm of coordinating legal, communications, and mobilization responses. 

Support community organizations: The same organizations that registered and mobilized voters will also protect this election from sabotage. Tides’ Healthy Democracy Fund has granted over $28 million to over 160 organizations in 2024, and these organizations need our support during and after the election. 

What You Can Do Today

We’re in the homestretch of a very long period of extreme polarization and rising tensions that have spilled over into political violence at times. Between now and Election Day, here are a few things that you can do: 

Volunteer: If you’re feeling anxious and have a few hours this weekend, join a canvass or remote phone bank instead of doomscrolling. With thousands of down ballot elections, there likely will be an activity near you. Most organizations and campaigns start every canvass shift with a training and often will pair up new canvassers with seasoned leaders who have literally been around the block before. 

Call a loved one to make a plan to vote: Vote tripling is a simple technique to remind three friends and family members to vote. Making a plan to vote with your loved ones involves checking their registration, finding their polling location, and scheduling a time to vote early or on Election Day. 

Thank you to every donor, organizer, volunteer, and voter giving their all to strengthen our democracy. Together we will work until every voice is heard.