The upcoming Election Day will be crucial, with results hinging on seven key battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. These states are expected to play a significant role in delivering the Electoral College votes needed for the winning candidate to secure the majority of 270. Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have been actively campaigning in these states, emphasizing their importance in the election outcome. The timeline for Election Day activities in these states will be crucial, given their geographic spread across four different time zones.
In Arizona, polls will open at 8 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. The state, which was narrowly won by Joe Biden in 2020, is known for its slow release of results. Arizona does not release votes until all precincts have reported or one hour after all polls are closed. In 2020, Biden was declared the winner by The Associated Press at 2:51 a.m. ET on Nov. 4. Georgia, another key battleground, will see polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Biden’s victory in Georgia in 2020 marked the first time a Democratic presidential candidate had carried the state since 1992. Efforts to overturn those results by Trump have led to a criminal case in Fulton County, currently on hold pending legal proceedings.
Michigan, a part of the “blue wall” states that went narrowly for Trump in 2016, will open its polls at 7 a.m. and close at either 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. ET. Biden’s win in Michigan in 2020 was crucial in flipping the state back to the Democratic column. Nevada, a state with a strong track record as a presidential bellwether, will open its polls at 10 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. The state typically delays releasing results until the last person in line has voted, making for a longer wait for final results.
North Carolina, a historically competitive state that has leaned Republican in recent elections, will have polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. ET. Trump’s narrow victory in North Carolina in 2020 was one of the smallest margins of his winning states. Pennsylvania, another “blue wall” state, will open polls at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. ET. Biden’s win in Pennsylvania in 2020 was another crucial victory in securing the presidency. Finally, Wisconsin, the third “blue wall” state in the group, will open polls at 8 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. ET. The state has a history of close elections, with margins of victory less than 1 percentage point in recent years.
The outcome of the Election Day in these battleground states will be pivotal in determining the next President of the United States. Voters and candidates alike will be closely monitoring the results as they come in, with a particular focus on the key swing states that hold the Electoral College votes essential for victory. The efforts of the campaigns, as well as the engagement of voters in these crucial states, will shape the final outcome of the election and have lasting implications for the future of the country.
