2024 US election results: What happens after a winner is declared?

Former President Donald Trump has been declared the unofficial winner of the 2024 presidential election, but there are many other steps that need to happen before Inauguration Day next year.

Trump garnered more than the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency through initial vote counts Tuesday night, becoming the second president in U.S. history after Grover Cleveland to lose the White House in a consecutive election, but win it back four years later. His inauguration is slated for 2025, but several processes must occur before that date.

Here are key dates in the election cycle:

According to TIME magazine, once election results are counted, states begin to certify their accuracy. Delaware, which has the earliest certification deadline in the country, must have the process completed by Thursday.

"When polls close, local election officials will report unofficial election results to the public and if it is a state or federal election to their respective states," according to the United State Election Assistance Commission. "State election offices will aggregate data and report unofficial results for State and Federal offices, including President and Vice President.

"Then, after every valid vote has been included in the final results, and all required processes have been completed, the election results will be certified."

The local certification deadline in Kentucky is Nov. 8 and the state certification deadline is Nov. 25, according to the United State Election Assistance Commission.

If neither of the candidates has conceded five days after the election, both campaigns will state planning transition briefings separately.

Before the passage of the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act in 2022, the General Services Administration would certify the likely winner of the election before the beginning of transition briefings.

Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts in his New York hush money trial back in May. He was convicted from falsifying business records to hide money paid to silence adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.

The sentencing was originally scheduled for Sept. 18, but Trump asked Judge Juan Merchan to push back the sentencing after the election, which was later granted.

More:Why the election may determine what happens with Trump's criminal sentencing

The Executive of each state will prepare seven Certificates of Ascertainment and once the votes are certified, one of them will be sent to the Archivist at the National Archives. According to TIME Magazine, that certificate contains the names of the electors who will cast the votes for their state in the Electoral College.

"The electors meet in their respective States and vote for President and Vice President on separate ballots," according to the National Archives. "The electors record their votes on six Certificates of Vote, which are paired with the six remaining Certificates of Ascertainment."

The electoral vote is comprised of one Certificate of Ascertainment and one Certificate of Vote," the National Archives states.

The President of the Senate and the Archivist must receive the electoral votes on or before the fourth Wednesday in December, which falls on Dec. 25 in 2024, according to the National Archives.

When the new Congress convenes, the Archivist will send sets of Certificates to Congress if the Senate has not received them, according to the National Archives.

Congress will convene in a joint session presided by the Vice President to count the Electoral College votes and declare the winner of the presidential election.

Jan. 6, 2021, proved to be a historic day when the U.S. Capitol was attacked by pro-Trump rioters attempting to stop the vote count. Both chambers of Congress later resumed their work and certified the results in favor of President Joe Biden.

Congress has since passed the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022, which requires approval of one-fifth of the House and Senate to consider a challenge to a state's results, a much higher bar than existed before when any single lawmaker from each chamber could trigger a challenge.

The inauguration ceremony will take place on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C.

USA TODAY reporters Michael Collins and David Jackson and Trending News Reporter Kinsey Crowley contributed to this article.

This story was updated to add a video.