Should I be concerned if there’s no
clear winner on election night?A:NOV. 3 MAY FEEL LIKE THE FINAL
minute of a contentious championship
game, but just because the clock will stop
doesn’t mean we’ll know who won. The
chance that Election Night passes with-
out a clear winner is higher than normal
this year.
First, the good news.
There are a series of dead-
lines carved into America’s
electoral process that are
designed to ensure a victor
is determined before Inau-
guration Day on Jan. 20. By
Dec. 8, states should have
counted their votes and re-
solved court contests. Failing
to meet that deadline risks Congress get-
ting involved in disputes over the state’s
chosen Electoral College members. On
Dec. 14, the 538 electors convene in their
states to cast their ballots. Missing this
hard deadline could mean the state’s votes
are not included in the tally toward 270
electoral votes, the number needed to win
the White House. On Dec. 23, states arerequired to send these votes to Congress.
On Jan. 6, the newly sworn in Congress
is expected to count and certify the Elec-
toral College votes and verify a victor.
And now for the bad news. Many elec-
tion experts are concerned that states will
be unable to meet some of
these deadlines. As confi rmed
COVID-19 cases spike around
the country, tens of millions of
voters are opting to cast bal-
lots by mail—which can take
longer to tally. This slowdown,
paired with the GOP’s legal at-
tacks on voting by mail, raises
the question of whether some
states will be able to fi nish
counting and certifying ballots in the 35
days between Nov. 3 and Dec. 8.
The way some of this year’s pandemic-
era primaries unfolded isn’t exactly re-
assuring: in fi ve states, election offi cials
took more than nine days to call the win-
ners; two congressional primaries in New
York took six weeks. Patience may be
paramount. —ABBY VESOULISA: Most people vote before work, during their lunch
break or immediately after work. So if you have any
fl exibility in your schedule, try to avoid those windows.
The off-peak hours are generally very early in the
morning—some polling places open at 6 a.m.—late
morning and midafternoon. ÑMariah EspadaWHAT TIME SHOULD
I VOTE TO AVOID THE
LONGEST LINES?
WHAT IF ONE CANDIDATE
CLAIMS VICTORY BEFORE
ALL THE VOTES ARE IN?
A:Such a claim would be
legally meaningless—even
if the candidate is also the
President of the United States.
Each state’s election results
must be certifi ed by state
election offi cials, and the
results of the Electoral College
must be confi rmed by the
U.S. Congress before they’re
offi cial. To combat premature
Election Day proclamations,
consider ignoring social media
and tuning out partisan outlets
for 24 hours. If a candidate’s
claim of victory does not match
up with what state election
offi cials or nonpartisan outlets
like the Associated Press
are reporting, sit back and
wait. ÑA. AbramsonMN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA DC WV WI WY
NOV.
7 P.M.^3
NOV.
8 P.M.^3
NOV.
POLL CLOSE^3
NOV.
5 P.M.^3
NOV.
7 P.M.^3
NOV.
7 P.M.^3
NOV.
3
NOV.
3
NOV.
7 P.M.^2
NOV.
7 P.M.^3
NOV.
8 P.M.^3
NOV.
7 P.M.^3
NOV.
POLL CLOSE^3
NOV.
8 P.M.^3
NOV.
8 P.M.^3
NOV.
2
NOV. 3
NOV. 10EOD
NOV. 3
NOV. 108 P.M.
NOV. 3
NOV. 125 P.M.
NOV. 3
NOV. 6NOON
NOV. 3
NOV. 13
NOV. 3
NOV. 23
NOV. 3
NOV. 9
NOV. 3
NOV. 65 P.M.
8 P.M. NOV. 3
NOV. 45 P.M.
NOV. 2 7 P.M.
NOV. 13
NOV. 3
NOV. 10
NOV. 3
NOV. 10
NOV. 3
NOV. 10
NOV.
NOON^2
FORMALNO
DEADLINE
SPECIFICNO
DEADLINE N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
OCT. 21IN PERSONBY MAIL
NOV. 2
OCT. 27IN PERSONBY MAIL
NOV. 2
OCT. 23IN PERSONBY MAIL
NOV. 2
OCT. 24IN PERSONBY MAIL
5 P.M. OCT. 305 P.M.
NOV.
(^2) 5 P.M.
OCT.
(^20) 5 P.M.
NOV.
(^2) 5 P.M.
OCT.
(^27) 5 P.M.
NOV.
(^2) 5 P.M.