Is there an "official announcement" of the US election results?

　　[Global Times reporter Chen Xin] The United States is unique in that it does not have a National Election Commission, so there is no official agency to announce the election results.

By default, news organizations have assumed this role, and the Associated Press is the leader.

Since 1848, the Associated Press has been responsible for announcing the results of the American election.

The Associated Press executive editor Sally Bouzby once stated in an interview that the Associated Press will not predict the outcome of a presidential election or even list obvious or possible winners. They will "based on facts, mathematics, and State law", the election result will be announced only when it is confirmed that the candidate who is behind has no more votes to win.

　　Therefore, under normal circumstances, the results of the general election announced by the media, including the Associated Press, based on campaign data will give the public strong expectations about who will be in the White House, and will also cause candidates to declare victory or defeat. Strictly speaking, it is not an "official announcement."

　　This year, after the voting day on November 3, U.S. states have about five weeks before December 8 to determine which candidate has won the local election. This period of time is called the "safe harbor" period.

On December 14, state electors will vote in the state, and their voting results will be officially announced in Congress on January 6 next year. The candidate with the majority of electoral votes will win the general election.

　　During this year’s general election, some media worried that there would be problems with the transfer of power to the president, so the role of the General Services Administration (GSA) is also worthy of attention.

According to a 1963 law in the United States, the Director of the General Services Administration of the United States decides when to "determine" the winner. Only after the GSA has confirmed the transfer of power to the US president can the transfer of power to the US president be officially carried out.

Currently, the current GSA Director Emily Murphy has not yet confirmed the winner of the election.