Key dates in the U.S. election

U.S. voters will cast about 160 million ballots to choose the president, members of Congress and thousands of state lawmakers, city council members, attorneys general and secretaries of state
               

Nov 5, 2024: Election day held on first Tuesday after Nov 1
   
Will Americans choose to return former Republican President Donald Trump (left) to Oval Office or decide Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris (right) should be nation’s
first woman president?
 
Nov 25: Last day for 17 states and District of Columbia to allow postal votes to arrive with Election Day postmark. Almost 66 million cast their vote by mail in 2020
   

Electoral College votes by state

Total Electoral College votes: 538

Each state allocated number of votes equal to number of Senators and Representatives in its congressional delegation



Alaska 3	Wis. 10		V.T. 3   N.H. 4  Maine 4
Wash. 12 Idaho 4 Mont. 4 N.D. 3 Minn. 10 Ill. 19 Mich. 15 N.Y. 28 Mass. 11  R.I 4  
Ore. 8 Nev. 6 Wyo. 3 S.Dak. 3 Iowa 6 Ind. 11 Ohio 17  Pa. 19  N.J. 14  Conn. 7
Calif. 54 Utah 6 Color. 10 Neb. 5 Mo. 10  Ky. 8 W.Va. 4 Va. 13 Md. 10 Del. 3
Ariz. 11 N.M. 5 Kan. 6 Ark. 6 Tenn. 11 N.C. 16  S.C. 9 D.C. 3
Okla. 7 La. 8 Miss. 6 Ala. 9 Ga. 16
Hawaii 4 Texas 40 Fla. 30

Allocations based on 2020 Census


Dec 11: Safe harbour, date by which every state’s governor must certify results of presidential election and submit their so-called Electoral College votes

Jan 6, 2025: Electoral College votes formally counted before joint session of Congress

Dec 17: Deadline for 538 Electoral College votes to arrive in Washington. Candidate needs 270 or more votes to secure presidency – their running mate becomes vice-president

Jan 20: Inauguration day. President-elect and vice president- elect sworn in and take office

 
Sources: Associated Press, Electoral College, Reuters 
Pictures: Getty Images 
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