Vision 2020: What happens if the US election is contested?

WASHINGTON (AP) — Is it possible the election will be up in the air and we won’t have a president on Inauguration Day: Jan. 20, 2021?Even if the election is messy and contested in court, the country will have a president on Inauguration Day. The Constitution and federal law ensure it. Here’s what happens after voters go to the polls on Nov. 3: First, states have more than a month to count ballots, but their electoral votes have to be cast on Dec. 14. Courts will be mindful of that in refereeing any disputes. During the 2000 election, the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ended Florida’s vote recount, saying time had run out before electors were set to meet.