2004 U.S. presidential election timeline

This page contains incomplete information on the latest election-day developments of the 2004 US presidential election. For a more in-depth discussion of the candidates and issues at stake in that election and the campaign history leading up to election day, see U.S. presidential election, 2004. For information on other national races conducted the same day, see U.S. Senate election, 2004 and U.S. House election, 2004. For an explanation of the U.S. presidential election process see U.S. Electoral College.

Events

• Citizens in two small New Hampshire towns were the first to have their ballots counted in the 2004 U.S. presidential election. In Dixville Notch, the more famous of the two due to its longstanding tradition of early voting, the incumbent lost ground compared to his showing in 2000, but got more total votes than the challenger: Bush — 19, Kerry — 7. Bush also won the vote in Hart's Location, which managed to report its results slightly earlier this year; Bush — 16, Kerry — 14, and Nader — 1. (4:00 AM EST (UTC-05:00), November 2, 2004, Associated Press (Associated Press) (Reuters)) In both cases this represented a small swing compared with the 2000 results from the Republican candidate to the Democratic candidate.
• "U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens Tuesday allowed Republicans to challenge voter qualifications at the polls in Ohio, a key battleground state that could determine the presidential election. Stevens acted on an emergency request shortly before polls opened in Ohio and across the nation." He refused to set aside a U.S. appeals court order, issued Monday, which, reversing a lower court's ban, permitted political party members to challenge the credentials of potential voters at polling places across the state.-Reuters ([1]) (Bloomberg ([2]))
• Some ([3]) reports (

http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20041101-110119-6698r.htm say Florida, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., (and possibly other states) have received record numbers of requests for absentee ballots for this election. Absentee ballots are counted differently based on the state [4], with most states counting them on election day, but with some exceptions, the last deadline being 10 days after the election (all Washington, D.C. absentee ballots, and overseas absentee ballots in Ohio and Florida). Washington State allows 15 days after the election for out of country absentee ballots to come in. It is possible that absentee ballots are being requested due to concerns about electronic voting, or simply due to an expected high overall voter turnout.

• Early exit polling shows strong Kerry battleground states edge (http://www.mydd.com/story/2004/11/2/135756/299). Early exit polling has in the past tended to favor Republicans, though it favored Al Gore in several key states in the 2000 election.
• Leroy Chiao, currently stationed on the International Space Station, cast his vote by encrypted e-mail and became the first American to vote in a presidental election from space.
• Slate (http://slate.msn.com/id/2109053/) reports exit polls from ten states, with John Kerry winning in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and New Mexico. Bush projected to win in Nevada, North Carolina and Colorado. Together with the polls from MyDD there are results from 34 states. Kerry leads with 192 electoral votes, while Bush has 152.
• Zogby (http://www.zogby.com/) predicts a decisive 311 to 213 win for Kerry with 14 electoral votes too close to call.
• CNN (http://www.cnn.com/) projects Indiana, Kentucky, and Georgia for Bush. Vermont is projected for Kerry. CBS (http://election.cbsnews.com/election2004/) and FoxNews (http://www.foxnews.com/) concur. Based on these projections, the electoral vote is 34 for Bush, 3 for Kerry.
• Yahoo! News ([5]) is calling West Virginia for George W. Bush, making the projected electoral vote 39 for Bush, 3 for Kerry. CNN and NBC News both concur.
• CNN projects Alabama, Oklahoma, and Tennessee for President Bush; Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, DC, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine (except 2nd District), New Jersey, and Vermont for Senator Kerry: current electoral vote is 77-66, Kerry ahead.
• NBC calls North Carolina for Bush, 81-77 for Bush
• CNN (and ABC, and possibly others) projects South Carolina(8), Virginia(13), Kansas(6), Nebraska(4), North Dakota(3), South Dakota(3), Texas(34) and Wyoming(3) for president Bush, and New York(31) and Rhode Island(4) for senator Kerry. Projected count 155-112 for Bush. Acording to these numbers, both candidates have won the same states than their parties won in the 2000 election, but redistribution of districts means that the Democrats have lost 5 electoral votes and the Republicans have won 2 with respect to those elections.
• CNN and ABC project Louissiana (9) for president Bush. ABC additionally project Mississippi(6) for the president, leaving the count at 170-112 for the incumbent.

Odds

• On Tradesports, the Bush futures contract dropped from about 53, where it has been for the past several days, to about 30, in about an hour, but then rallied to 41-42 by 9PM EST. On Betfair the odds on a Bush victory have increased from 1.9 to 3.8 over the last day.

• Oddschecker gives real time odds and accurate reflection of probabilities from various UK bookmakers. Good breakdown of battle ground states as well.

• The Iowa Futures Market has shown Bush losing ground recently and Kerry picking up.

• The price of light crude oil dropped yesterday by nearly $1.63 (3.2%), suggesting that traders speculate a win for Kerry and that this will lead to an easing of the geopolitical tension that caused prices to rise earlier in the year.

Poll closings

See U.S. Election Atlas for poll closing times and network calls.

Projections

As of the poll closings at 20:30 EST, President George Bush is projected to win: Indiana, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Senator John Kerry is projected for Vermont, Illinois, New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia. New Hampshire, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri are undecided. (CBS News)

The respective tallies in South Carolina and Virginia have shown that 55 to 60% of the vote in both states are going to Bush. However, only a minute fraction of precincts are reporting, and the states are therefore too close to call. Naturally, the most hotly fought states, Ohio and Pennsylvania, are still undecided and will likely remain so for several days.

Results

Fox News, BBC News, CBC News, CBS News, The New York Times and CNN.com have created maps that give live election results as they happen.

Red denotes a state being called for the Republican candidate, while blue denotes a state being called for the Democratic candidate.

Election Results
National 538 Candidate Electoral Votes Pop. Votes Pop. Vote % Bush 164 12,485,200 53% Kerry 112 10,781,912 46% Others 0 51,642 0% [6]
Legend: States shown in red have their Electoral College votes going to Bush States shown in blue have their Electoral College votes going to Kerry
Alabama 9 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 42,106 56% Kerry 36,021 45.8% Others 499 0.7% [7]
Alaska 3 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
Arizona 10 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
Arkansas 6 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 42,261 48.3% Kerry 44,727 51.1% Others 587 0.6% [8]
California 55 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
Colorado* 9 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
Connecticut 7 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 12,194 41% Kerry 16,970 57% Others 682 2% [9]
Delaware 3 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
District of Columbia 3 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
Florida 27 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 1,791,763 55.8% Kerry 1,392,835 43.4% Others 26,932 0.8% [10]
Georgia 15 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 487,675 63% Kerry 278,473 36% Others 5,493 1% [11]
Hawaii 4 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
Idaho 4 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
Illinois 21 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 318,414 28% Kerry 807,867 71% Others 5,988 1% [12]
Indiana 11 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 879,115 60.9% Kerry 535,330 38.4% Others 10,365 0.00% [13]
Iowa 7 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
Kansas 6 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 116,998 56% Kerry 89,502 43% Others 2,321 1%
Kentucky 8 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 910,602 58.93% Kerry 622,795 40.30% Others 11,948 0.77% [14]
Louisiana 9 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 28,168 65% Kerry 14,629 34% Others 511 1% [15]
Maine At-Large** 2 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Kerry 12,753 56% Bush 9,521 42% Others 416 2% [16] Maine District 1** 1 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00% Maine District 2** 1 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
Maryland 10 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 31,432 37% Kerry 53,491 63% Others 792 0% [17]
Massachusetts 12 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 296,090 39% Kerry 450,901 60% Others 6,084 1% [18]
Michigan 17 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 28,809 54% Kerry 23,929 45% Others 580 1% [19]
Minnesota 10 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 12 46% Kerry 14 54% Others 0 0.00% [20]
Mississippi 6 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
Missouri 11 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 284 212 52.00% Kerry 265 614 48.00% Others 2554 0.00%
Montana 3 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
Nebraska** 5 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 12 213 71.00% Kerry 4 746 28.00% Others 179 1.00%
Nevada 5 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
New Hampshire 4 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 7,608 40.8% Kerry 10,943 58.6% Others 0 0.6%
New Jersey 15 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
New Mexico 5 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 728 77.36% Kerry 209 22.21% Others 4 0.43% [21]
New York 31 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 19,480 30.65% Kerry 43,427 68.32% Others 657 1.03% [22]
North Carolina 15 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 450,851 56% Kerry 348,086 44% Others 2,816 0% [23]
North Dakota 3 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 3,369 64.29% Kerry 1,782 32.48% Others 89 1.70%
Ohio 20 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 390,664 52.62% Kerry 347,901 46.86% Others 3,838 0.52%
Oklahoma 7 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 104,527 65% Kerry 55,578 35% Others 0 0% [24]
Oregon 7 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
Pennsylvania 21 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 123,300 27.45% Kerry 323,873 72.10% Others 2,026 0.45% [25]
Rhode Island 4 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 2,768 39.62% Kerry 4,099 58.67% Others 120 1.72%
South Carolina 8 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 326,019 55.60% Kerry 253,326 43.20% Others 7,004 1.19%
South Dakota 3 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 3,783 54.09% Kerry 3,074 43.95% Others 137 1.96%
Tennessee 11 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 598,274 59.36% Kerry 403,584 40.04% Others 6,001 0.60% [26]
Texas 34 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 1,474,145 63% Kerry 869,553 37% Others 10,596 0% [27]
Utah 5 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
Vermont 3 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 31,243 36.23% Kerry 53,027 61.49% Others 1,971 2.29% [28]
Virginia 13 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 901,610 55.64% Kerry 708,390 43.75% Others 10,546 0.65% [29]
Washington 11 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
West Virginia 5 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 31,485 53.53% Kerry 26,935 45.80% Others 392 0.67%
Wisconsin 10 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%
Wyoming 3 Candidate Popular Votes Popular Vote % Bush 0 0.00% Kerry 0 0.00% Others 0 0.00%

Third Party Totals (other)
Others	Votes	Vote %
Michael Badnarik (Libertarian Party)	0	0.00%
Walt Brown (Socialist Party USA)	0	0.00%
Roger Calero / James Harris (Socialist Workers Party)	0	0.00%
David Cobb (Green Party)	0	0.00%
Ralph Nader (Reform Party)	0	0%
Michael Peroutka (Constitution Party)	0	0.00%
Bill Van Auken (Socialist Equality Party)	0	0.00%

*-Colorado has a Constitutional amendment on the ballot this year which would change the process by which its electoral votes are distributed. Results of the vote follow:

Colorado Amendment 36
Position	Votes	Vote %
Yes (proportional split)	0	0.00%
No (remains winner-take-all)	0	0.00%

**-Maine and Nebraska are unlike the other 48 states and the District of Columbia in that they allocate their electoral votes in the following manner: 1 for the winner of each Congressional district, 2 for the state winner. Neither state has ever split the vote.

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File:Electoral map450nocache.jpg

Presidential electoral votes by state. The candidate who accumulates at least 270 electoral votes out of a total 538 is elected President.