How to follow the US election on the BBC

How the BBC's US election night presenters are preparing

BBC News is on hand with a wealth of coverage throughout the US election night and beyond.

The latest news, analysis and results will be available from 22:00 GMT (17:00 EST) on Tuesday, 5 November, across all platforms and whether you are in the UK or overseas.

Online

Around the world, you'll be able to follow all the developments in the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on the BBC News website and app.

A round-the-clock live page with a live stream is at the heart of our offer. It will feature the expertise of our North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher, and input from BBC News reporters stationed in battleground states around the US.

Readers in the UK can sign up here for Anthony's US Election Unspun newsletter, and readers outside the UK can sign up here.

Make sure also to keep checking our 2024 US election page, which is being continually updated with detailed analysis and explainers of the latest events.

TV

Special programming from Washington gets under way on the BBC News Channel at 22:40 GMT (17:40 EST), before the first polls close on the US east coast. Viewers in the UK will also be able to watch on BBC One, or on BBC iPlayer.

The programme will be anchored by Caitríona Perry and Sumi Somaskanda - who'll be joined by US special correspondent Katty Kay and others. You'll also hear from North America editor Sarah Smith and senior North America correspondent Gary O’Donoghue.

BBC correspondents around the world will also have their say on events - and the BBC Verify team are on hand to fact-check claims that emerge during the night.

UK viewers will see BBC Breakfast presenter Jon Kay join the Washington results broadcast at 06:00 GMT (01:00 EST). Special programming continues until 10:00 GMT (05:00 EST) on Wednesday.

Radio and Sounds

Special coverage from Washington starts at 22:00 GMT (17:00 EST) with Ros Atkins and Nuala McGovern.

Listeners in the UK will be able to tune in on BBC Radio 4 or BBC Radio 5 Live. Listeners outside the UK can hear the same broadcast on the BBC World Service.

At 06:00 GMT (01:00 EDT), UK listeners can choose between the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, presented by Justin Webb from Washington, or Breakfast on BBC Radio 5 Live. World Service listeners will hear Newsday at that time.

On BBC Sounds, global audiences can listen to continuous live coverage as the results come through, and in the days beyond, with the Live News Stream. Go to the live dial at the top of the BBC Sounds homepage and tap on Live News.

Our flagship US news podcast Americast will record special episodes, not just analysing events as they unfold throughout the night, but also in the days after.

The Global News Podcast will release a special bonus episode as the results are called in. And the Global Story will tell the story of the night, follow the results and what they mean for the world. Find all the US news and politics podcasts in the BBC Sounds US Election collection.

The BBC on the ground

BBC reporters will be following the race as it plays out in key swing state locations. As well as Washington DC, where Harris will be overnight, our teams will be reporting from in and around:

How the BBC gets and reports results

The BBC has two trusted partners that provide results - Reuters news agency and our US news partner CBS.

When we bring you a result, we call it a "projection". That's because our partners analyse incoming results data, and when they are confident that one candidate has an unbeatable lead in a particular race, they project the winner.

That projection is not the official result - but it nearly always proves to be correct when all the votes are eventually counted.

The final result comes when states certify the results – often days or weeks after election day.

You can read more about that process here.

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