When is the presidential inauguration? Timeline for president

With 295 electoral votes as of Thursday morning, Donald Trump has been declared the unofficial winner of the 2024 presidential election. He is slated to become the second president in United States history to serve two non-consecutive terms.

While Inauguration Day is scheduled for the beginning of 2025, several other things still need to happen before he can be sworn in.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the election cycle timeline from now until Inauguration Day.

Election certification: Nov. 7-Dec. 12

While the results reported on the night of the election typically allow a winner to be called, they are not official results. According to the United States Election Assistance Commission, these results still have to be canvassed and certified in order to be final.

“Only election officials provide official election results,” says the Commission. “There are several steps election officials complete before they certify final election results.”

Per the Commission, the steps are as follows:

• Unofficial results are published after the polls close on election night and continue to be released until all ballots are counted. The results are unofficial until certified.
• During the canvass, election officials reconcile the number of mail, early and Election Day ballots cast with the number of voters. The purpose of this is to make sure that every valid vote is counted in the final results.
• Post-election audits are required in most states to verify that the equipment used correctly counted votes. The timing and method of these audits differ among states.
• Finally, election officials issue a written statement of certification attesting that the results are true and accurate.

Recounts may impact the timeline of final election certification depending on state law.

Delaware has the earliest state certification deadline with a deadline of Nov. 7, according to the Commission, with Oregon having the latest deadline of Dec. 12.

Certificates of Ascertainment confirm the appointed electors: Dec. 11

Each state appoints a number of individuals known as electors to cast the state’s electoral votes for the president and vice president. According to the National Archive, this process is completed in two steps.

First, per the National Archive, the political parties in each state choose slates of potential electors before the general election. Second, during the election, voters in each state select the state’s electors by casting their ballots. Depending on the election procedures and ballot formats in each state, the potential electors’ names may appear on the ballot below the names of the presidential candidates.

In most states, the winning presidential candidates slate of potential electors are appointed as the state’s electors.

As reported by NPR, the deadline to certify the states’ presidential electors is six days before the electors meet which, this time around, is Dec. 11.

Electors vote: Dec. 17

Per the National Archive, on Dec. 17, the electors will meet in their states and vote for the state’s winning candidates.

Electoral votes arrive: Dec. 25

Electoral votes must be received by the archivist, Dr. Colleen J. Shogan and the president of the Senate, which is currently Vice President Kamala Harris, by Dec. 25, according to the National Archive.

Newly elected members of Congress are sworn in: Jan. 3

On Jan. 3, the newly elected members of Congress will be sworn in.

Congress counts the electoral votes: Jan. 6, 2025

On Jan. 6, 2025, Congress will meet to count the electoral votes. Harris, as president of the Senate, will preside over the count and announce the results of the Electoral College’s vote. She will then declare the people that have been elected President and Vice President of the United States.

Inauguration Day: Jan. 20, 2025

If all goes as planned, Trump and future Vice President JD Vance will be sworn into office at the U.S. Capital Building in Washington D.C. on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, marking the official beginning of his second term as president of the United States.