Polling stations open in 8 new US states for 2024 elections

CAIRO - 5 November 2024: As the 2024 US presidential elections commenced on Tuesday, polling stations in eight additional states opened at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time, including those in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire, and Virginia. This staggered schedule highlights the varied voting times across the United States. For example, Vermont began voting at 5:00 a.m.

In Indiana and Kentucky, polling places started operations at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time, though some locations in the Central Time Zone will open at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time (2:00 p.m. Cairo Time). In Maine, most voting centers opened at 6:00 a.m., though municipalities with populations under 500 are permitted to start later, up to 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

Dixville Notch, a small town in New Hampshire, upheld its long-standing tradition of casting ballots at midnight. This year, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump tied, each receiving three votes.

The US electoral system is known for its complexity. Presidential elections are not determined solely by direct popular vote. Instead, they rely on the selection of electors through the Electoral College, established by the Founding Fathers as a compromise between a congressional vote and a popular vote.

The Electoral College is not a physical location but a process involving the selection and meeting of electors who cast votes for the president and vice president. The results of these votes are then counted by Congress. The Electoral College comprises 538 electors, and a candidate must secure a majority of 270 votes to win the presidency. Each state's representation in the Electoral College equals its number of congressional representatives: one elector for each House member and two for its senators.

Washington, D.C., is allocated three electors and is treated as a state in the Electoral College per the 23rd Amendment to the US Constitution.

Electors are generally committed to voting for the candidate chosen by their state's voters. In most states, the candidate who wins the majority receives all the state's electoral votes. However, Maine and Nebraska allocate their electoral votes proportionally based on the distribution of the popular vote.

This year's US presidential election continues to follow the historical and constitutional practices that define its unique electoral process, balancing popular and congressional voting mechanisms to determine the nation's leader.