When is the US election 2016? All the UK times you need to know

If you're pulling an all-nighter for the result, then here's what you can anticipate and when

When is the US Election?

The final showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will take place on Tuesday 8th November, but we won't know the result in the UK until the following day.

On that day, either Clinton or Trump will be declared the 45th President of the United States.

When do the polls open and close?

Due to the US having six different time zones, polling opens and closes across the country at different points.

It will generally start at 6am Eastern Time, which is 11am in the UK, and begin to close at 7pm – which is midnight here.

The last state, Alaska, won’t have closed its polls until after 4am our time, but there should be a good idea of who has won by this point.

When will the first results come through?

The first votes will be declared just after midnight on the Tuesday, so actually six full hours before polls open.

Dixville Notch in New Hampshire races to be the first every year, with residents gathered in a ski resort ballroom ready to vote at midnight. There is tough competition from other small towns across New Hampshire to beat them, though.

Despite Dixville Notch’s speedy declaration, those wanting to see the results come in are in for a long night.

Polls don’t start closing till midnight on Wednesday in the UK, meaning it will be the early hours of the morning when key results start coming in – including some of the swing states that will define the election.

From midnight, a forecast based on exit polls will also become available.

When will we find out who has won?

No one yet can know when the next President will be announced for certain, but the earliest the election will be called in favour of either candidate is 11pm ET time – so a bleary-eyed 4am in the UK.

A concessions speech by the losing party will follow after, when it is clear which side has won.

There is, however, the possibility of there being no outcome by the end of election day itself. The result could be too close to call, there could be legal debates that delay results or cause recounts, or there may even be a tie.

This could drag out the election into the US’s Wednesday 9th November, or potentially even further.

In all likelihood, though, the early hours of Wednesday morning is when the UK will find out who the next President is. In 2012, Obama was called as the victor at 4:48am by the Associated Press.

Why November 8th?

The US Election has traditionally always taken place on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, for two key reasons.

One is because November is the quietest month for the rural workers that once dominated America, with Tuesday giving them time to travel to local towns and cities where the polls are.

Second is to avoid a clash with November 1st: All Saints Day, when businessmen traditionally did their accounting.

UK Times (including key states):

Midnight – Polls start to close, including Florida, Georgia and New Hampshire. Exit poll predictions will start being announced.

12:30am – Ohio and North Carolina close

1am – Pennsylvania and Michigan close

2am – Arizona and Wisconsin close

3am – Iowa and Nevada close

4am – All polls other than Alaska have closed

After 4am – It’ll start to become clear who has won. Last election, Obama was called for at 4:48am.