Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
Politics
Daisy Naylor & Daniel Morrow

US election: How Scots can watch results as polls close tonight

All eyes will be on America this evening as the battle to become the country’s next president draws to a conclusion.

Donald Trump is hopeful for another four years inside the White House while Democrat Joe Biden believes he is the man to replace him.

The latest poll from YouGov shows a close race between the pair but is anticipating former Vice President Biden to win with a nine-point lead over Trump.

Experts say that this would translate into an electoral college majority of 364-174 -  the threshold to win an election is 270.

The battle to become the US President will draw to a conclusion tonight (Getty Images)

Fewer than one in five Scots would back Donald Trump to continue as US President, according to a poll by Politico.

So here’s how Scots political nerds can keep an eye on the action as the polls close in America tonight.

BBC One Scotland and BBC News will start its Election Night coverage from 11.30pm (GMT) this evening.

Andrew Neil and Katty Kay will present the show into the early hours of the morning, before Laura Trevelyan, Matthew Amroliwala and Reeta Chakrabarti take over from 9am (GMT) the following day.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to win according to recent opinion polls (REUTERS)

The coverage will then continue until 12.15pm (GMT).

STV’s Trump vs Biden: The Results show will start from 11pm (GMT) and finish at 6am the next morning.

Sky News’ Dermot Murnaghan will present America Decides live from Washington DC, which will be on air from 10pm (GMT) to 6.30am.

What time will we know the results?

Polls will close at different times across the USA, with the first states - Kentucky and Indiana - at 11pm UK time.

The last state - Alaska - will conclude voting at 6am UK time.

But we probably won't get a definitive result on election night.

While some states will be called for Biden or Trump fairly quickly, others may take a lot longer to count all their votes.

This means that while we may have an indication of who has won the election by 6am, it could take weeks for a definite result.

Which are the key states to watch?

If Biden wins Florida (where the polls close at 12am GMT) and Arizona (3am GMT) then there is a good chance he will win the election.

Both these states are expected to call their result on the night.

If he wins Texas (where the polls close at 1am), he could be on for a landslide victory.

But it may not be immediately clear which way states will go.

Republicans are much more likely to vote in-person, while Democrats often mail-in their ballots.

Polling stations will close in America tonight (AFP via Getty Images)

In-person votes are counted more quickly, which could lead to states initially reporting strong results for the Republican Party.

But once mail-in ballots have been counted up, states could undergo a "blue shift" as they swing back towards Biden.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.