Harris Campaign Says Results Could Take Days

Election Day is Tuesday, but the suspense will likely continue for days, Kamala Harris' campaign warned Monday. Campaign Chair Jen O'Malley Dillon called for calm, noting that in some states, ballots "will continue to be counted for many days" after Election Day. "We believe this race is going to be incredibly close," she said, per the Hill. "So, we may not know the results of this election for several days, but we are very focused on staying calm and confident throughout this period as the process goes through."

• The timeline. O'Malley Dillon said the campaign expects "near complete" results Tuesday night from swing states Georgia, North Carolina, and Michigan, with "partial results" from Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Arizona. She said most results from Wisconsin should be in by Wednesday morning, with "additional results" from Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada in the following days. She noted that in Nevada, ballots can arrive until Saturday.

• More on swing state results. The Washington Post takes a detailed look on when results are expected from swing states, predicting that the Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada results won't be known until after Wednesday. The Post describes Pennsylvania's process as "laborious," with "arcane rules that can lead to challenges over ballots."
• Potential recounts. The BBC notes that with many races expected to be tight, networks are likely to hold off on projecting a winner early, and recounts could delay the results. In Pennsylvania, a statewide recount is required if there is a difference of less than 0.5% between the two leading candidates. In 2020, networks didn't declare Biden the winner of the White House race until the Pennsylvania result became clear on the Saturday after Election Day.
• Trump wants results early. In recent days, Donald Trump has stepped up demands for the winner to be named Tuesday night, though polls in Western states don't close until 11pm Eastern, the AP reports. "They have to be decided by 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock, 11 o'clock on Tuesday night," he said at a Sunday rally. "Bunch of crooked people. These are crooked people." Trump falsely declared victory hours after the last polls closed in 2020 and some allies are pushing him to declare victory even earlier this time around, the AP notes.

(More Election 2024 stories.)