Breaking down Election Day: When will we know results? Is there school on Election Day?

WASHINGTON — Millions of Americans will decide the country’s direction on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

The 2024 general election won’t just give the U.S. a new president, it will also choose members of Congress and thousands of state lawmakers, city council members, attorneys general, secretaries of state and other offices up and down the ballot. 

This year’s election comes at a moment in the nation’s history when the very basics of how America votes are being challenged as never before by disinformation and distrust.

Election Day is on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Tens of millions of Americans will have cast their ballots by the time Election Day comes to a close on Tuesday. 

Election Day is perhaps best thought of as the LAST day of the general election: it’s the final chance for voters to cast ballots in person, for mail ballots to arrive and be counted, or, in some states, the day by which mail ballots must be postmarked.

After polls close on election night, attention shifts to The Associated Press and the major TV networks to report the results and announce who will be the next president. 

Some years, that official race call has come within hours of the first polls closing. But in recent years, it’s taken longer to know for sure which candidate has won enough electoral votes to win the White House. With such a close election, it’s very likely we won’t know the next president on Election Day — or, at the least, not on Election Day on the East Coast.

There are currently 12 federal holidays recognized in the U.S., with the newest addition being Juneteenth. Election Day is not one of them. 

To make the change, Congress would have to approve the new holiday, followed by a signature from the president. 

The idea of making Election Day a national holiday has a large bipartisan support, with 72% of U.S. adults surveyed by the Pew Research Center favoring the decision. Making Election Day a federal holiday has seen increased support in the in recent years, having jumped from 65% favorability in 2018 to 72% in 2024.

It all depends on your location. 

Many school and community centers serve as polling places on Election Day, so it’s best to check with your school district’s calendar on whether classes will be in session on Tuesday.

Most businesses will remain open on Election Day as it isn’t a federal holiday. Some, however, have adjusted hours or given employees time off in order to boost voter participation. Banks, such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America, TD Bank and Regions Bank, should not see any changes in their operating hours on Tuesday. 

The U.S. Postal Service will deliver mail Tuesday, according to its holiday schedule. 

While there’s no federal holiday status for our voting date in November, there are a handful of states that recognize it as a holiday. 

Illinois, West Virginia, Maryland, Hawaii and New York are among states that have classified general Election Day, held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years, as a state holiday, where employers are required to give time off for voting. 

In states like Montana and Indiana, Election Day is considered a state holiday, and some state offices are closed, but employers are not required to provide time or pay to give Election Day off.

Colorado and California are two states that don’t consider Election Day as a state holiday but do require employers to pay their employees if they need to take time off to head to the polls. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.