USA Election 2020: TV, times, how to watch the results online
First things first, go and vote! And then sit back, relax (or not) and watch the election night chaos, or coverage, unfold. Here’s when, where and how.
It’s destined to be an election night unlike any other. Due to the covid-19 pandemic almost 100 million early votes have been cast before polls open on Election Day, and overall turnout is expected to be record-breaking too.
US Election Day 2020 live online updates: voting results and more
The country should be prepared to not have a definitive answer tonight, though. Fears among the electorate about catching or spreading the coronavirus has ensured unprecedented numbers of mail-in votes, and many states are legally not allowed to begin counting those until this morning, or this evening.
Be aware of any candidate trying to claim a victory before it is officially confirmed. This is an extraordinary election year and so patience is going to be required. It may be that early on in the night it’s a clear winner will emerge, but given the electoral college system it may also be that it’s too close to call without the exact numbers on the mail-in ballots.
How to watch election night coverage on TV
Some networks’ coverage runs all day long and well into the morning on Wednesday, November 4, so there’ll never be a dull moment.
All the major network and cable channels will have wall-to-wall coverage starting early evening:
ABC – starts 7pm ET
CBS – main coverage starts at 7pm with “Red and Blue” highlights at 5pm ET
CNN – “Election Night in America” starts at 4pm ET
C-SPAN – starts 9pm ET
Fox News – starts at 6pm ET
MSNBC – coverage starts at 4pm ET, with the main show at 6pm ET.
NBC – “Decision 2020” start at 7pm ET
BBC World News – coverage begins at 6:30pm ET
See also:
How to watch election night coverage live streams
If you don’t have the option to watch the cable and network options above, you can also live stream online. Free, but only possible with a good broadband connection:
ABC - coverage 24/7
CBS - coverage here streaming live from 5pm ET
CBS - rolling coverage all day on Election Day
NBC main site stream
NBC on Youtube
Watch, and vote responsibly.
For all the latest election day news, follow our dedicated rolling feed.