Key Dates in the 2024 US Presidential Race By Reuters

By Costas Pitas

Former President Donald Trump, a Republican, is set to face off against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the U.S. presidential election on November 5. Below is a timeline of key events leading up to the election and the subsequent Inauguration Day next January.

• October 1: Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance and his Democratic counterpart Tim Walz will participate in a debate hosted by CBS News.

• November 5: Election Day.

• Later in November: The election results may take several days to finalize, particularly if the contest is close and mail-in ballots are involved.

• November 26: Trump, the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime, is scheduled to be sentenced in relation to the Manhattan hush money case. He was found guilty of falsifying documents to conceal a payment made to silence a pornographic actress. Trump maintains his innocence and the sentencing was initially set for September 18.

• December 17: Electors from each state and the District of Columbia will convene to formally select the president and vice president as part of the Electoral College.

• December 25: The electoral votes are required to be submitted to the president of the Senate, currently held by Harris, and the National Archives by this date.

2025 Timeline

• January 6: The vice president will oversee the counting of Electoral College votes during a joint session of Congress, announcing the results and declaring the election winner. On January 6, 2021, Trump criticized his then-vice president, Mike Pence, for not attempting to block the certification of Biden’s victory. That day also saw a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters who sought to interrupt the proceedings, although Biden’s victory was ultimately confirmed early the next morning.

Following the events of January 6, Congress enacted the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022. This legislation raises the threshold for challenging a state’s results, requiring the approval of one-fifth of both the House and Senate.

• January 20: The inauguration ceremony will take place, marking the official swearing-in of the newly elected president and vice president.