As the highly anticipated 2024 US presidential election between incumbent Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump approaches its climax, Australians are gearing up to closely follow the neck-and-neck race. With the eyes of the world on the United States, here is your essential guide to the key timings, Australian TV and online coverage, and local election watch parties happening around the country.
When Is the US Election in Australian Time?
Americans will head to the polls on Tuesday, November 5th. However, due to the time difference, most of the action will unfold on Wednesday, November 6th for Australians. Early voting has been underway for some time now, but this is the official election day.
Poll Closing Times Across the US
Polls will start closing in the eastern states from 6pm US Eastern Time (ET). This translates to 10am Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) on Wednesday. By 8pm US ET, over 20 states including the battleground of Pennsylvania will have finished voting – midday AEDT. Other key swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin wrap up by 9pm US ET, or 1pm AEDT.
The final polls, in western states Alaska and Hawaii, will close at 12am US ET on Wednesday. That’s a 4pm AEDT cutoff for voting in this historic election.
Projected Winner Announcement
By the time the last ballots are cast, counting will have been underway for hours in many states, giving a strong indication of the likely winner. However, if the race is as tight as pollsters predict, an official call may not come for some time.
In the 2020 election, Joe Biden wasn’t declared the victor by the Associated Press until four days after polls closed. A similar timeline this year would see the 47th US president announced on the evening of Wednesday, November 6th in Australia – potentially around 7pm AEDT if it follows the 2016 trajectory, when Trump’s win was called.
Watching the Election on Australian TV
Australia’s major TV networks will all be offering rolling coverage throughout Wednesday as the election unfolds:
- ABC, Channel 10, Channel 9 and SBS kick off their broadcasts around 10am AEDT
- Channel 7 joins the election coverage from 11:30am AEDT
- SBS coverage will feature a feed from US public broadcaster PBS
The continuous coverage will be punctuated by breaks for local news and other programming at points during the day on the commercial networks.
Comprehensive Online Coverage
For uninterrupted, up-to-the-minute reporting, several online sources will be invaluable:
- The Guardian’s live blog and results tracker, fueled by their extensive US and global newsrooms
- Real-time results and analysis from US outlets like the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN and FiveThirtyEight
- Local coverage via the websites of Australian broadcasters ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine and Ten
Election Watch Parties Near You
For those eager to experience the election excitement with others, public watch parties are happening in capital cities across Australia:
- Adelaide: University of Adelaide’s Politics and International Relations Assoc. at the Crown and Scepter hotel from 11am local time
- Brisbane: Democrats Abroad event at Pig ‘N’ Whistle from 10am
- Canberra: Democrats Abroad at PJ’s in the City from 10am
- Melbourne: AmCham ticketed event at Hawthorn hotel from 2pm, Democrats Abroad at Belgrave hotel from 10am
- Perth: Perth USAsia Centre at UWA from 7:30am
- Sydney: US Studies Centre at the Royal hotel from 1pm, “Trump Election Watch Party” at Sanctuary hotel from 1pm, Democrats Abroad at Kent St hotel from 9:30am
As the Harris vs Trump showdown reaches its historic conclusion, Australians have ample opportunities to join the global community in witnessing the democratic process that will determine the leader of the free world for the next four years. Whether at a watch party with compatriots, following along on TV, or refreshing online coverage, November 6th promises to be a momentous day that will have far-reaching ramifications both locally and on the world stage.
