When will we know who won the presidential election? Election results take forever to finalize.
The world stands still during the United States Presidential election. An election of the most powerful country and the biggest economy is worth the world’s attention.
Elections have timelines. Thus, the electoral body can only hold the result for a short period. They have to announce once the collation of results is completed.
This post discusses when electorates will know who won the United States presidential election and other things about the election. Read on for more details.
When Will We Know Who Won The Presidential Election
There’s no way to determine the presidential election winner in the United States on election night. Something must have happened to the original result if the final result was announced the election night.
Two categories of people vote on the day of the election. These include those who vote in person. They prefer to cast their ballots themselves.
The second category is the mail-in voters. They include voters who want to vote from the comfort of their homes.
In addition, electoral officials need to count the ballot papers after voting. Each state also has laws regarding how people should cast mail-in votes.
So, the presidential election involves a lot. Thus, the results cannot be announced on election night. It usually takes a few days but after the collation.
What Causes Delay In Presidential Elections
Citizens are eager to know who their next leader is after casting their votes. Most people would want the results announced after they cast their votes.
Unfortunately, things don’t happen this way in an election. Voters from the entire country cast their votes. So, officials deal with a considerable number of electorates during presidential elections.
A look at the 2020 presidential election reveals states that delayed the announcement of the result, including factors that led to the delay. For instance, while the final tabulation of the results was taking place, Arizona results were not yet concluded.
Arizona’s result was delayed because a large chunk of the voters opted to vote by mail. The large number of votes cast via mail delayed the process. Officials even announced that the process could take as much as 12 days.
Voters also had five days to correct their signatures. So, as of November 9, 2020, tons of ballots still needed to be counted. There were about 400,000 uncounted ballots in Maricopa County, while Pima had about 159,000. Officials had to announce that the final result could be announced around November 14 to 15.
How Often Is The United States President Elected
Every four years, electorates troop out in their numbers to elect their president. This means a sitting president can only remain in office for four years. After four years, a fresh election will be conducted.
The incumbent president can decide whether to run or against running. The choices remain with the candidates. However, candidates must meet the basic requirements to join the U.S. presidential election.
The constitution is very clear on the requirement to be elected president. Check them out below.
- You must be at least 35 years old to contest for the office of the president of the United States of America.
- You must be a natural-born citizen of the U.S.
- You must have lived in the United States of America for at least 14 years.
If you meet these basic requirements, another hurdle you must cross to contest the presidential election is the primary election.
A Handy Tip: The United States election is very complex. However, there’s a constitution every candidate is expected to follow.
Once you raise or spend at least $5000, the law demands that you register with the Federal Electoral Commission. In addition, you have to set up a principal campaign committee, saddled with the responsibility of raising and spending campaign funds.
Who Can Vote In A U.S. Presidential General Election
If you’re a citizen of the United States, you’re eligible to vote. However, you have to register to vote.
So, anyone who’s registered can vote. They can vote in the presidential, state, and other elections they wish to vote in.
In plain terms, if you’re a citizen and you’re registered, you can do the following;
- Vote in the general election, even if you didn’t vote in the primary elections.
- You can vote for any presidential candidate of your choice, regardless of the person or party you voted for in the last election, where you come from, or the party you belong to.
Most people usually vote on Election Day, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Your place of residence may also determine if the voting period will be extended or not. The voting period could be extended to include mail-in ballots, absentee ballots, and early voting.
Are Presidential Nomination Convention Compulsory
Political conventions have been America’s tradition for centuries. The convention focused on political parties and defined America’s choice of government.
Political parties have the power to make their own rules. They can decide how to elect their presidential candidate and who they want to select.
The constitution has already laid out the basic requirements for candidates seeking to run for president. Political parties are also aware of these requirements and have to comply. Failure to do so, the candidate projected to represent the party may be disqualified.
The presidential nomination convention is essential to the political parties. The major parties organize conventions before the general election.
The reason parties hold national conventions is to choose their final presidential nominee. In this case, state delegates from the primary, including caucuses chosen to represent the people endorse their preferred candidates.
At the end of the convention, the final presidential nominee from the party will be announced. The party executives will then submit the candidate’s name to the electoral body.
Again, parties can decide how they want to choose their presidential candidate. They have the right to do so.
A Handy Tip: National conventions aim to enable parties to choose their preferred presidential and vice presidential candidate to represent the party at the polls.
In addition, conventions are organized every four years. And once a president or vice president emerges at the convention, they become the party’s flag bearers.
Furthermore, not all parties organize conventions. Independent candidates and minor political parties may not organize national conventions.
However, this doesn’t mean candidates from these parties won’t be on the ballot.
On the contrary, their names will be on the ballot, provided they meet the basic requirements to contest for the office of the president of the United States of America.
However, because of the party size, they may be on the ballot on a state-to-state basis. They also have to collect certain signatures on a petition for that specific state.
Can Green Card Holders Vote In A Presidential Election
Green card holders or lawful permanent residents are people authorized to live permanently in the United States of America. The green card shows the government is aware of the person’s stay in the country.
You cannot perform certain activities if you’re a green card holder. For instance, you cannot join government agencies set aside for citizens.
Another thing green card holders cannot do is vote. If a green card holder does so, they’ll be deported and banned from entering the United States of America.
Only citizens have the right to vote. And this includes citizens who are registered to vote. You can be a citizen and yet not vote if you’re not registered.
A Handy Tip: You can’t vote as a green card holder, and you cannot work in agencies set aside for citizens. However, you can join the armed forces as a green card holder in most circumstances.
Conclusion
So, when will we know who won the presidential election? You cannot know who won the presidential election within seconds of casting your vote. The winner will also not emerge on election night.
Presidential elections involve the entire country. Millions of people come out to cast their votes, and each ballot has to be counted. So, it’s a long and time-consuming process. It could take days or weeks for the winner of the presidential election to emerge.
