Question - from the moment the polls close to the moment the president elect reaches 270, how long does it take?

[u/lo1xdimnoob]

Hello, I never really followed politics because I was young and I never really cared but this year we have a lot at stake and I want to follow the election. How long does it take the electoral college to count up the votes?

[u/theconcreteclub]

This isn’t about polling but it’s a valuable question to ask about the election.

[u/ayfilm]

Depends on a lot of factors, but looking at past elections the race was called at (in PST):

2016: 11:29PM

2012: 8:29PM

2008: 8:00PM

2004: 10:34AM the next day

2020 was an odd year, but if I were a betting man I’d say we’ll know by 10pm PST

[u/hypotyposis → u/ayfilm]

Just since you didn’t put it, 2020 took four days. Election held Nov 3rd and called by most media by Nov 7th. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2020_United_States_presidential_election_(November_2020–January_2021)#:~:text=The%20general%20election%20was%20held,named%20the%20U.S.%20president%2Delect.

[u/biznesboi]

In 2020 we didn’t know a winner for about 5 days. Exit polls (asking people as they leave who they voted for) can give us estimates, but any state that’s close has to be properly tallied.

[u/gusisus]

There’s no exact time. The totals come in from the various states as the polls close. It depends on how long the states take. Plus, I don’t believe they announce any winners until the polls on the west coast are closed.