Tuesday 08 November 2016 4:35 pm

When will the results of the US Presidential election be announced? Here’s what previous years suggest…

By: Emma Haslett

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Tired of Trump? Heedless of Hillary? In less than 12 hours, the US Presidential election will be over, and for better or worse, we may even know who the new leader of the free world is.

But what time will the results come rolling in, and how can you watch it online? Here's everything you need to know.

What time do the polls open and close?

Polls opened at 10.30am UK time – and while some in states such as Indiana and Kentucky close around midnight, some of the latest close at 3am GMT. 

Here's a helpful diagram: 

Staying up late tomorrow night?Here's a guide for this side of the pond on when the results start to come in in every state #USElections2016 pic.twitter.com/CKmzqYQZzz

— Carl Cullinane (@CullinaneCarl) November 7, 2016

And how long does it take to declare?

US election counts are quicker than what we're used to in the UK. In the past, networks have called it correctly as early as 11pm ET, or 4am GMT (although in 2000 some called it incorrectly at 7.50pm).

In 2008, Networks called it for Obama at 11pm, while John McCain conceded at 11.09pm. In 2012 it took a little longer: networks called it at 11.15pm; Mitt Romney conceded at 12.47pm. 

If it's super close, we might not know until the following day. Or the following month – in 2000, Al Gore eventually conceded on 13 December, more than a month later…

So what time should I set my alarm? 

4am, probably. The drama will happen from then. 

Which states should I be worrying about?

The 14 key swing states are Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Arizona, Minnesota, North Carolina, Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, Virginia and Florida.

Here's a little guide from Nomura (click or tap on the table to open it in a new, zoomable, tab):

Ok. So how can I watch it? 

For starters, you could attend one of London's many election parties. 

Both the BBC and Sky News are providing live coverage all night long – while YouTube and Twitter are both providing live streams. 

I'm a millennial, dear. I only ingest information in 140 character soundbites.

In which case, you should be following all of our 18 Twitter accounts to follow on Presidential election day.