Once the polls close on Nov. 5, the path to either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump taking the oath of office will still take several more weeks. There is a detailed process in place to ensure the ballots are counted accurately and that state and federal officials properly determine who won the most electoral college votes. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Here are the key dates that matter for after this Election Day: November 7: State certification of results begins Once votes are counted, it’s up to the state election officials to certify that the results are accurate.