As millions of Americans go to the polls on November 3, to vote for their preferred candidate between US President Donald Trump and his challenger Joe Biden, expectations are high to know who will win the election.

It’s also high because the presidential election is happening in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, which has greatly affected the world’s superpower more than any other country.

At the same time, the US presidential election is happening as racial tensions in the country have taken another shape, especially following the killing of a series of Black Americans in the US.

Trump, a Republican nominee, is seeking a second term as Biden, a Democratic nominee best known for serving as the Vice President for Barack Obama for eight years, is seeking to challenge him.

Trump has been accused of failing to have a clear and great response to the pandemic which has affected millions of Americans and killed hundreds, a card that his challenger has used to appeal to voters.

So far, most polls point to Biden as a likely candidate that will emerge as a president, at least based on early voting.

Early voting, which is either by mail-in ballots or in-person, has seen more than 95 million people cast their ballots so far, according to Michael McDonald, a University of Florida professor who runs the US Elections Project.

In the entire 2016 election, 136.5 million people voted, CNN said, so this time voter turnout is already more than two-thirds that number.

What to expect

Voting in many of the 50 states in the US starts at 6 am (1 PM local time) closes at midnight.

According to Meena Bose, Professor of Political Science and Executive Dean for Public Policy and Public Service at Hofstra University, Tuesday December 8 is described as a "Safe Harbor” deadline.

"States must complete vote counting and select electors by this date,” she told reporters in a virtual briefing on Monday.

Monday, December 14 – Electors will meet in state capitols to cast ballots.

Wednesday, January 6 – Electoral College votes will be announced in Congress (by Senate President).

What if election results are contested?

Bose says lawsuits over voting and ballot counting, especially in battleground states are likely to happen in this case. 

If a candidate thinks there’s fraud in an election, they can file an appeal and the Supreme Court could vote to hear the appeal.

President Trump has made it clear that he will not concede even if he appears to be losing, hinting that he might even declare victory based on early results.

The American electoral system works in a sense that not necessarily who wins the majority becomes the next president, rather an Electoral College determines who wins the presidency.

This means that a candidate has to win at least 270 or above to win the election. But what happens if a state’s results are disputed, then is 270 still the threshold for a majority?

No majority in the Electoral College means the U.S. House of Representatives votes by state delegation for president and the Senate selects vice president.