Live election 2024 results map

Voters across America cast their votes the 47th President of the United States.

Polls are closed on the East Coast, and early forecasts point to a Republican candidate Donald Trump winning Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia, with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris Get Vermont.

As election workers count the ballots and voting data is released, the media will begin making their predictions about the winner of each state. The independent relies on projections from the Associated Press.

Although the media will likely announce the final results in the days following November 5, their determination is only a projection. The election will be officially certified by Congress January 6, 2025.

According to Edison Research exit polls for media in the National Election Pool, voters ranked the state of democracy as the most important issue in their voting decision, with the economy coming in second.

Traditionally, exit polls are conducted through in-person interviews with voters outside polling stations after they have cast their votes. Polls are posted outside voting centers before and on Election Day. They are also conducting phone and text surveys to reach voters who have mailed in their ballots.

Check back tonight for live election updates from The independent as exit poll data is released and final ballots are cast.

Both candidates are aiming for 270 electoral votes, the golden number needed to secure the presidency.

Thanks to early voting data and exit polls, the media will likely start releasing information about the results at 5:00 PM ET.

But it will take hours before any meaningful information arrives. The first polling stations to close will close at 6pm local time, while some polling stations will remain open until 8pm local time, including many on the West Coast.

Experts told it before The independent that the timeline for calling the race depends largely on two things: how close the elections are in individual states and those states’ specific laws regarding vote counting and potential recounts, all of which vary.

Senate and House races

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election tonight.

In the Senate, only 34 of the 100 seats are elected, as senators serve six-year terms and a third is elected every two years. The outcome of the 2024 elections will determine the balance of power in Congress.

West Virginia’s Republican Governor Jim Justice is expected to win a Senate seat, flipping a seat previously held by former Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, who is not seeking re-election.

Before this election, Democrats had 47 senators and four allied independents, while Republicans had 49.

Of the 34 seats up for grabs, 18 were previously held by Democratic senators, threatening their slim majority.

Battle for the swing states

All eyes are on the seven swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Together they have 93 votes in the electoral college, without which neither presidential candidate can win the election.

Results are refreshed live as they come in. Check back regularly for updates.