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US election: Race too early to call as count goes on

Published November 5, 2024last updated November 6, 2024

The world is watching the 2024 US presidential election. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are in a tight race, with swing state North Carolina going to Trump, as counting continues in Pennsylvania and Michigan. More on DW.

https://p.dw.com/p/4mbiG
Skip next section What you need to know

What you need to know

Vote counting continues in the battleground states of Wisconsin, Georgia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

Trump has taken the first crucial battleground state of North Carolina. He has also won states including Florida, Ohio, Texas and Iowa.

Kamala Harris has won California, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut, along with Maryland, Illinois and New York. 

Early voting was extremely popular this year, with 75 million of the 161 million registered voters having already cast their ballot.

With preelection polling showing one of the closest races ever, it is possible that key states such as Pennsylvania and Nevada may be too close to call on election night. 

Here's a roundup of the latest developments in the race for the White House on November 5, 2024:

Skip next section Trump wins key swing state North Carolina
November 6, 2024

Trump wins key swing state North Carolina

Donald Trump has won the major battleground state of North Carolina. 

The state has 16 electoral votes. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes in total to win the presidency. 

Harris also won Oregon, a West Coast state that typically goes for Democrats in presidential elections. 

https://p.dw.com/p/4mg8z
Skip next section 'Red mirages' and 'blue shifts' muddy waters for vote watchers
November 6, 2024

'Red mirages' and 'blue shifts' muddy waters for vote watchers

Early vote returns in US battleground states may not be a good indicator of the eventual winner in some battlegrounds thanks to vote counting rules and anomalies in certain key states.

In 2020, some states showed a "red mirage" that saw Donald Trump out in front initially on election night, red being the color of the former president's Republican Party.

That was before a "blue shift" saw Democrat Joe Biden overtake him as mail-in ballots — more popular with Democratic voters at the time of the coronavirus pandemic — were counted.

Ahead of the 2024 election, experts had said this could happen again — especially in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

One factor that can also lead to red mirage is that Democrats tend to live in more populous urban areas, where counting can take longer.

However, the opposite can also happen, with a "blue mirage" apparently showing a strong result for the Democrats, only for a "red shift" to reverse the trend.

https://p.dw.com/p/4mg8w
Skip next section Electoral college 'favors Republicans,' US professor says
November 6, 2024

Electoral college 'favors Republicans,' US professor says

Lawrence Douglas, professor of law and social thought at Amherst College told DW that the Electoral College does not reflect the will of the people and is not an adequate system to elect a president that serves a national role.

"When we elect a president, it's not states that are electing the president. It should be the American people who are electing the president," Douglas said. 

"The president, after all, is a national figure, not a figure who represents the interests of specific states," he said.

You can watch the full interview here. 

US elections 2024: America decides

https://p.dw.com/p/4mey7
Skip next section Harris wins California, Washington, as West Coast polls close
November 6, 2024

Harris wins California, Washington, as West Coast polls close

Polls are now closing in California, Oregon and Washington.

California and Washington have been won by Kamala Harris.

Oregon will almost certainly be won by Harris. 

Idaho is more conservative and has now been called for Trump. 

Hawaii and Alaska will also close their polling stations in the coming hours. Hawaii will almost certainly go for Harris, where Alaska will be a win for Trump.  

https://p.dw.com/p/4mg74
Skip next section US election results 2024 live map
November 6, 2024

US election results 2024 live map

   

https://p.dw.com/p/4mfaB
Skip next section Harris wins Maine District 1
November 6, 2024

Harris wins Maine District 1

Harris has won Maine District 1.

The state of Maine splits up electoral votes. Two electoral votes are given to the popular vote winner in the state, whereas one electoral vote is allocated to the popular vote winner in each district.      

https://p.dw.com/p/4mg4k
Skip next section Trump wins Kansas, Iowa
November 6, 2024

Trump wins Kansas, Iowa

Donald Trump has won Kansas and Iowa.

Kansas has been mostly considered a red state in recent presidential cycles.

Iowa, meanwhile, went for Democratic President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.  

https://p.dw.com/p/4mg4W
Skip next section Florida win has Trump supporters optimistic, still doubtful about the election process
November 6, 2024

Florida win has Trump supporters optimistic, still doubtful about the election process

The Cuban-American community here in Little Havana has traditionally been pretty Republican. It is certainly a very Trump-supporting community and you really feel that here tonight. You are constantly having cars and trucks drive by and honk their horns. Everyone is flying their flags on the corner.

This is even stronger after the state of Florida was called for Trump pretty early on in the evening, giving the people here the confidence that Trump was having a strong night that would be replicated in other parts of the country. Obviously it's still early, so we don't know if that's the case. But there's still a party atmosphere here on the streets. And so far nothing has happened that has suggested they don't have a reason to feel confident.

Trump supporters express doubts about election process

One thing I have asked pretty much everyone that I've talked to here is whether they would accept a result in which Harris won. Everyone has said "yes," they would accept that. But there's always a bit of a "but" that comes after that. People are expressing concerns that there will be what some people call "shenanigans" in the count in some states. I think that reflects the doubts that Donald Trump has successfully sowed in the Republican Party about the electoral process.

This is causing a lot of concern that if there is a very close result in certain swing states such as Pennsylvania, there could be a repeat of the events of 2020, which were so destructive to the United States and its reputation in the world. So while people are saying they would accept a Harris win, that "but" is certainly something to watch out for.

https://p.dw.com/p/4mg10
Skip next section Kamala Harris wins Colorado, Washington DC
November 6, 2024

Kamala Harris wins Colorado, Washington DC

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris has won Colorado, which has 10 electoral votes. 

Although Colorado was earlier a swing state, it has gone reliably Democratic in recent presidential elections.   

Harris also won the Washington DC area, which is also a Democratic stronghold. 

Harris supporters optimistic about election outcome

https://p.dw.com/p/4mg0p
Skip next section Florida abortion amendment fails to pass
November 6, 2024

Florida abortion amendment fails to pass

Carla Bleiker in Washington, D.C.

Abortion, one of the big issues in the presidential elections, was on the ballot in several states. In Florida, a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would have negated the six-week abortion ban currently in place, failed to pass. The measure would have enshrined abortion protections up to the point of viability for a fetus, or about the 24th week of pregnancy. It needed a 60% approval from voters to pass. With around 90% of the votes counted, it fell short of that goal by a few percentage points.

It's a big win for Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who heavily opposed the amendment. The six-week abortion ban is criticized by abortion rights activists because this early in a pregnancy, many people don't even know they're pregnant yet. Nine other states have abortion measures aiming to protect or strengthen reproductive rights on the ballot: Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New York and South Dakota. None of these have been called yet, as only small percentages of the votes have been counted so far.

Abortion looms large as US election approaches

https://p.dw.com/p/4mg0U
Skip next section Polls close in key swing state Nevada, Trump wins Montana and Utah
November 6, 2024

Polls close in key swing state Nevada, Trump wins Montana and Utah

Polls have now closed in the key swing state of Nevada. 

The state has 6 electoral votes, and was won by Democratic President Joe Biden in 2020. 

Polls have also closed in Montana and Utah, where Donald Trump has won both states, picking up a combined 10 electoral votes. 

Montana is where a key Senate race is taking place between Democratic incumbent Jon Tester and Republican challenger Tim Sheehy.

If Democrats wish to keep a majority in the senate, Tester will likely need to hold on to his seat. Recent opinion polls show Sheehy ahead of Tester.    

Polls also closed in Idaho. 

https://p.dw.com/p/4mg0B
Skip next section Trump wins Missouri
November 6, 2024

Trump wins Missouri

Republican President Donald Trump has won Missouri, which has 10 electoral votes.

Missouri reliably goes for Republicans in presidential races. 

https://p.dw.com/p/4mg0e
Skip next section How long could it take to count all the votes?
November 6, 2024

How long could it take to count all the votes?

Counting the votes after Election Day is a long process. Here's an explainer from DW on what are the most important steps when it comes to the vote count and why it could take a while before the official results are out.   

Five things to follow as the US election results come in

https://p.dw.com/p/4mfnm
Skip next section Trump wins Ohio and Texas
November 6, 2024

Trump wins Ohio and Texas

Trump has won Ohio, which has 17 electoral votes. 

Ohio is not a battleground state, but has become more Republican in recent cycles. Ohio used to be a key swing state, and was won by Democratic President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. 

Trump also won Texas.

Texas has 40 electoral votes. Although Democrats have hoped to flip the state due to its large metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas and Houston, the state still generally goes for Republicans in presidential races. 

https://p.dw.com/p/4mfvh
Skip next section Upbeat, confident Kamala Harris supporters gather at Howard University in Washington DC
November 6, 2024

Upbeat, confident Kamala Harris supporters gather at Howard University in Washington DC

Janelle Dumalaon at Howard University, Washington, D.C.

A steady stream of Kamala Harris supporters are entering the Howard watch party, which officially kicks off in an hour or so. People are upbeat, optimistic and confident of a Harris victory. "What do you like about her?" I asked a middle-aged female supporter from Georgia. "She’s the opposite of everything Trump is," the supporter said.

There's a strong police presence here. I have also seen my share of really creative signs. One read "Do you want Madam President or do you want a madman president?"

I've spent today talking to voters, and because this is Washington, D.C., it's reliably Democrat. A lot of people are voting for Kamala Harris. I think there really is something about the voting process that makes people feel like they have power over the outcome.

And I think it's also helped their feelings of anxiety that there have been very little reports of disruption to the voting process. So they voted safely, most people they know and love voted safely, and now they're all gathered here to see if the candidate they chose made it or not.

UTwo students sit on a stage talking and looking at their phones
Students and first time voters talk as workers set up the stage for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris during election night at Howard UniversityImage: Alyssa Pointer/REUTERS
https://p.dw.com/p/4mfoW
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