What to expect on Election Day

WASHINGTON — Your parents were right: Math really does matter.

After all of the tumult and tedium of a long, ugly presidential campaign, Election Day is all about which candidate can win enough states to get to 270 electoral votes.

The timeline

The first burst of results will emerge when polls close at 6 p.m. in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia. Look for more big blasts of numbers just after 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., when polls close in a combined 30 states and the District of Columbia.

Second screen

Keep a second screen handy to get the full election night picture. Four years ago, President Barack Obama went to Twitter with his first reaction once the votes clearly pointed toward his re-election. Trump’s tweetstorms are legendary. On election night in 2012, he tweeted that the election was a “total sham and a travesty” and encouraged “a revolution in this country.” He deleted some of the tweets after NBC’s Brian Williams said Trump had “driven well past the last exit to relevance.” Then Trump started tweeting rants aimed at Williams.

Making history

If Clinton emerges the victor, it will be a historic moment for women. A victory speech would be one for the ages.

The big question

Will Trump accept the results of the presidential election if he loses? “I’ll keep you in suspense,” he said at the last debate. The world is waiting for his answer.