Who will win the race for the White House next week? America votes on 5 November (US time) – which in Australia is Wednesday the 6th – and we can expect to see results rolling in from the Wednesday afternoon.
Unless you have your head under a pillow (as some of us do), you’ll be wanting to know as soon as possible: will Donald Trump win back the job he lost in 2020, or will Kamala Harris make history as the first female US president, keeping the Democrats in power?
And you’ll be wanting objective coverage and analysis of what it means for Australians from our public broadcasters.
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The ABC, across its TV, online and radio channels, is promising the most comprehensive and multi-platform all-day US Election Day programming in Australia, with insights and analysis from correspondents on both sides of the Pacific.
Rundown for the day on the ABC News, Wednesday 6 November
0500 – 1000 AEDT: Extended ABC News Breakfast with Michael Rowland reporting live from Washington DC.
1000 – 1900 AEDT: USA Votes. Join Jeremy Fernandez, Bridget Brennan, Casey Briggs and Julia Baird from the ABC Election Centre for up-to-the-minute results from across the US, with live reporting from ABC North America correspondents Jade Macmillan, Barbara Miller and Carrington Clarke.Â
They’ll be joined throughout the day by former BBC correspondent and author Nick Bryant, former NBC correspondent and News Breakfast regular Sara James and leading political scientist Simon Jackman.
David Speers will provide insights and analysis from Washington DC, joined by former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, former Ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos and former Deputy Chief of Staff to Donald Trump, Emma Doyle.
Isabella Higgins and Elias Clure will be live from Arizona and Michigan with real-time reactions from Americans in two of the crucial battleground states pivotal to Harris and Trump’s chances. ABC Global Affairs Editor John Lyons will be in Washington DC to give international reactions and perspective.
Planet America hosts John Barron and Chas Licciardello will add their insights and commentary as the results unfold, while Leigh Sales and Lisa Millar bring audiences the latest from the ABC’s complete online coverage.
7pm–8pm (Local): A 7PM USA Votes special will wrap the day’s key events from Washington DC. Hosted by Sarah Ferguson and David Speers, ABC News looks back at the historic day in US politics and brings audiences all the local reaction from Australia. It will also include local news, sport and weather from the ABC’s State and Territory newsrooms.
8pm to 9pm (AEDT) Planet America on ABC News Channel (9.30pm to 10.30pm (Local) ENCORE on ABC TV) Chas and John return for their fourth US presidential election special live show, joined by expert guests to unpack the complexities of US politics.
9pm to midnight (AEDT): ABC News Channel continues special coverage as the US wakes on the day after the election, with Girish Sawlani and Lorna Dunkley, plus former ABC North America correspondent Conor Duffy.
Across the day on ABC News Digital, a dedicated US election page will feature live news updates and results, broken down state-by-state, and all the latest commentary and analysis.
On SBS World News
Over on the SBS, there’s the US Election 2024 Special by SBS World News and PBS News, livestreamed from 10am on Wednesday 6 November, 2024.
The SBS World News special will be hosted by Janice Petersen, featuring election coverage from SBS’s American partner, PBS News. Co-anchors Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett will present live and continuous coverage from every jurisdiction as polls close for the Presidential, Vice Presidential, House of Representatives and Senate elections.
Other options
It will be hard to miss across all news channels on Wednesday. (Perhaps avoid Sky News, unless you’re looking for MAGA Trump-skewed views.)
Channel Ten: US election ‘America Decides’ coverage from around 10am, including a special ‘America Decides’ edition of The Project from 6-7.30pm – which could be a comforting comedy take on a grim reality.
Deep Dive for analysis: Check out the Australia Institute’s podcast After America, hosted by Dr Emma Shortis, who asks what this US 2024 Election means for the rest of us, and how Australia can help shape our rapidly changing world for the better. Or follow Emma Shortis on X for on-the-ground updates from the US as results emerge.
