Where the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris currently stands

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That's what matters.

A presidential election campaign like no other ends on Tuesday.

In a deeply divided nation, the election is a real contest between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.

We know that there are seven battleground states (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) that will decide the outcome barring a major upset. But big questions remain about the timing of results, the makeup of the electorate, the influx of misinformation — even the possibility of political violence. At the same time, both sides are prepared for a protracted legal battle that could complicate matters even further.

To win the presidency, a candidate must receive at least 270 votes from the 538 voters in the Electoral College. Each state receives as many electors as it has U.S. senators and representatives in Congress. In most states, including Texas, whoever receives the most electoral votes receives all of the Electoral College votes for that state. Texas has 40 electoral votes.

A big question is: How long will it take until the winner is announced?

Election Day in the United States is now often considered election week, as each state follows its own rules and practices for counting ballots — not to mention legal challenges — that can delay results. But the truth is that no one knows how long it will take for the winner to be announced this time.

In 2020, the Associated Press declared President Joe Biden the winner on Saturday afternoon — four days after the polls closed. But even then, the AP called North Carolina for Trump 10 days after Election Day and Georgia for Biden 16 days later after votes were counted by hand.

Four years earlier, the 2016 election was decided just hours after most polling stations closed. The AP declared Trump the winner at 2:29 a.m. on election night (technically, it was Wednesday morning on the East Coast).

This time, both campaigns expect the race to be extremely close in the seven swing states.

The size of the map and the closeness of the race make it difficult to predict when a winner might be determined.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.