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.

Trump v Clinton: US Election forecast - November 7

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.

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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.

US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump shakes hands with Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at the conclusion of their first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York Reuters US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures President Barack Obama embraces Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on stage at the party's convention in Philadelphia US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Donald Trump's wife Melania delivered a speech at the GOP convention in Cleveland that was later found to have been cribbed in part from Michelle Obama's 2008 convention address AP US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Hillary Clinton talks to reporters aboard her new campaign plane on Labour Day, 5 September, her first 'press conference' since 2015 (Getty Images) US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Donald Trump held a joint press conference with Mexican leader Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico City in August, hours before reiterating his harsh immigration plans at a campaign rally in Arizona Reuters US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Bernie Sanders officially endorsed Hillary Clinton, saying his progressive vision for ‘a transformed America’ would be ’best served by the defeat of Donald Trump’ Reuters US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Khizr and Gazala Khan appeared at the DNC to slam Trump for his stance on Muslim immigration, citing the case of their son Humayun Khan, who was killed in combat while serving as a Captain in the US Army in Iraq US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson is doing better in polls than any third party candidate since Ross Perot, 20 years ago Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Green Party candidate Jill Stein (centre) marches with supporters in Colorado AP US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Hillary Clinton and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine at a rally in Kaine's home state in July, days before Ms Clinton tapped him to be her running mate Getty US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Trump on the campaign trail with his vice presidential pick, Indiana governor Mike Pence AP US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage appears at a Trump rally in Mississippi in August, where he told the crowd that he 'wouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton if you paid me'.

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