Break out your crystal balls...When do you think that the election will be decided?

[Chainfire]

Of course it will be weeks before all of the votes are tallied, but how soon after the end of voting on the West coast do you think that we will know who won the election. The question may be when will the major news organizations call the election?

My best guess is 24 hours. Should I stock up on more liquor and pot for the long haul?

To clarify my title, women are invited to participate.

[drray23]

1. I think within a day.

We will know quickly if we have taken Florida or even Texas. They count early votes ahead of time. If thats the case Trump is done no matter what antics he will pull.

[CurtEastPoint]

2. Tuesday night, 11PM ET.

[MissB]

3. I think it'll be called before polls close here on the left coast

I’m eternally optimistic though.

[Demsrule86]

4. Late election night or in the wee hours of the next, if we take

any of Trump's states from 16, maybe earlier on election night. Also if PA comes in strong enough early.

[NurseJackie]

5. AP will call it at 12:05am Eastern Time (Wednesday morning, technically)

[Tom Rinaldo]

6. I'll go optmistic here. Midnight.

After Arizona starts reporting. I'll say that Biden will have already been declared winner of at least one of these three states by now: Georgia, NC, OH or FL) and that with Arizona going for Biden networks will start projecting the likely winner - though they will stress that it is unofficial since it will still be a while before Midwest votes are tallied.

[dalton99a]

7. Shortly after 11 pm EST

is my guess

[Laelth]

15. +1 n/t

-Laelth

[NightWatcher]

8. 9:30-10:00 EST Tuesday night

[Hortensis]

9. With the majority that we'll have a strong idea within first 24 hours,

likely that evening. Of course, "decided" is a different matter. The Republicans will try to subvert the elections through the courts, so yes, stock up for that.

[The Genealogist]

10. I have no idea

Depends on how much the various media outlets want to fluff Trump's ego, and how much they want to milk the drama for ad revenue.

[Progressive dog]

11. One A.M. Wednesday morning,

when Florida reports the vote.

[Efilroft Sul]

12. Thursday or Friday.

Nobody really knows, but I anticipate many legal battles in which the Republicans will try to toss hundreds of thousands of ballots, mostly mail-in, or stop the vote counting entirely. These actions will delay a winner being called.

I also can't rule out some armed action by Trump supporters, too, especially given the recent incidents in Texas and North Carolina. In the end, though, Biden wins, Trump fuh-reaks out, and so will his supporters. The more rabid ones may do the full Guy Fawkes on Thursday, which would be a really stupid thing for Trump to endorse, but I couldn't see him condemning it, either.

Your crystal ball may vary.

[dsc]

13. I think we have a pretty good shot at election night

If Biden wins NC by even single digits he will be declared on election night. If that happens, it is over. Same with Florida.

[Chainfire]

16. I am not holding out much hope for Florida.

It will be damn close, and we have a hard core, unreliable, unethical, state Republican government to tweak the results. Fuhrer DeSantis will pull out all of the stops to skew a close election, and he will have the backing of the Florida courts. Chad may well return to our state.

Perhaps I am wrong, and the state will produce an indisputable result, but my optimism is in a jar by the bed.

[dsc]

20. I am considerably more optimistic about NC than FL

We have a Democratic governor and thus a Democratic election infrastructure. I also think our lead is likely bigger here.

[calguy]

14. It'll all depend on which way Florida goes

That will tell us a lot about which way the night should transpire.

[zackymilly]

17. 24 business hours. nt

[csziggy]

29. So Friday afternoon? Business hours 8 hous a day divided into 24 3 days

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.

Since some states do not close the receipt of mail ballots until 2 days or more after Election Day, by Friday evening we should have a very good idea of who won, barring legal challenges by the GOP.

[Fiendish Thingy]

18. We won't know PA, but if AZ, NV and one of FL, NC or GA are called for Biden, it's over. Nt

[mercuryblues]

19. Somewhere between 11:30 and 12:30 they will call it.

But we will know between 10-11 PM. After the polls close in the PST zones where there are 74 reliable and 6(NV) leans blue electoral votes.

If trump loses either PA or FL, he's lightly cooked toast. if he loses both, he's burnt to the core toast.

[tishaLA]

21. 2 AM ET Wednesday

They'll be very cautious about calling some states

[redstatebluegirl]

22. Friday.

[Buckeyeblue]

23. I think early Wed AM

Biden has a consistently big lead in polls. If that doesn't hold, I won't believe it. Not with all of the early voting. Not with all of the new voters (those who didn't vote in 2016).

I think the fact that Trump is inciting violence is because he wants the country to be punished for his loss. He will really hope that the country does poorly.

And I suspect he'll get some idiots who have nothing else to live for, sort of like the fuck-ups that plotted to kidnap Whitmer, that will go out and do some stupid shit. But most of the Trump clown brigade, those who have families and house payments and truck payments and jobs, will grumble about Biden, will bitch and moan for the next four years, will blame the Democratic Party for every ache and pain, but they will also stay home on election night. Because even their lives with a Democratic president are better than a life lived out in prison.

[Chainfire]

24. The next question will be, if the results are delayed for days

How long do you think the people will be patient and stay calm?

[SoonerPride]

25. When California polls close.

It will be a wipe out and everyone knows it

[qwlauren35]

26. Thursday.

And it's going to be an ugly two days.

[MoonlitKnight]

27. 11:35 PM ET

I was thinking 11 but I think the avalanche of Biden states just after 11 might slow the final call. They will be so busy with the flurry of activity.

[MyNameGoesHere]

28. 0047 Central Time. The 4th

[tinrobot]

30. Election night/morning. How many elections have not been called then?

2000 is the only one that I recall, and even that one was "called", then walked back.

I suspect it will be called for Biden soon after the West Coast closes.

[Chainfire]

33. I can think of one, right off the bat; waiting on Chad.

[JCMach1]

31. 11:30 PM when TX and FL called for Biden

[roamer65]

32. When the polls close in CA, WA, OR and NV.

80 EV’s all for Biden.

Biden is going to take MI, WI and PA.

[jmowreader]

34. Tuesday night

The states will start running the already-cast ballots through their scanners at the start of the voting day. I would not put it past them to change-out the ballot boxes several times during the voting day and count cast ballots as the day progresses. About half the electorate has already voted, so I don't predict the super long lines we've seen in other elections.

By 10 pm local time, every state should be ready to declare who won that state.

[yellowcanine]

35. By 11:15 EST; California Polls close at 11:00 and it will put Joe over the top if he isn't there

already.