The Herald’s coverage will keep you fully informed in every way. For the first time, the nzherald.co.nz The desktop and mobile website will feature a video playing on your homepage screen as NewstalkZB’s Ryan Bridge hosts an election special starting at 4 p.m., featuring our own experts and guests.

Bridge will speak to former New Zealand Trade Minister and Ambassador to the United States, Tim Groser, former National Party leader and self-confessed US politics junkie, Todd Muller, and experienced political commentators Trish Sherson and Josie Pagani.

Our business experts Liam Dann and Madison Reidy will join them to discuss what the outcome could mean for New Zealand’s economy.

The Herald’s deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan and columnist Shane Te Pou will report from Washington DC, supported by a live AFP video feed from Trump and Harris’ campaign headquarters.

Our journalists will be out and about with Kiwis and American expats celebrating (or commiserating) as the results come in, from the US embassy in Wellington to Michael Morrah at the American Chamber of Commerce election party in central Auckland .

The Herald’s video and live blog results coverage uses the latest data from Reuters, displayed on an interactive map, so you can see with a single click who is winning in vital swing states.

During the last election, this interactive map proved extremely popular, garnering more than 2 million page views when results were uncertain in states like Pennsylvania and Georgia.

We’ll have more thought-provoking interpretations online and in print from Thursday morning, including special columns from our regular political pundits, Simon Wilson and Matthew Hooton.

Join us for the full package on U.S. Election Day: live video on your phone, the latest state-by-state results with a touch on your screen, and the best reporting and analysis from our talented team of journalists and experts.

When to watch

The US elections take place on Tuesday 5 November (US time), which means the results will be known on the afternoon of Wednesday 6 November in New Zealand. Given previous elections, it may take a long time to find out who won and legal challenges are expected. Some observers expect the outcome to take days, as most polls have Harris and Trump deadlocked. However, the US electoral system means that small changes in a few key states can result in a big victory for both sides.

How it works

The American president is not directly elected by voters. Each state is worth a certain number of votes in the Electoral College, which formally elects the president. The Electoral College is made up of 538 votes, meaning each candidate needs 270 votes to win. Since most states are solidly Democratic or Republican, the competition comes down to a few key states, which could go one way or the other. Most commentators believe the most likely swing states in this election are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Americans also vote for lawmakers in Congress and the Senate, another key part of America’s political system of checks and balances, because any president must work with both.