November 7th, 2000. Bush wins.

Earlsdon, Coventry. I am a History and Politics student. Myself and my housemate Tom vow not to go to bed until a winner is declared. Had we stuck to this, we would have been awake for over a month.

November 2nd, 2004. Bush wins.

New Malden, London. My then-future employer, The Guardian, runs an excruciating campaign whereby they encourage readers to write to Americans in swing states telling them not to vote Bush. Bush wins more convincingly than in 2000.

November 4th, 2008. Obama wins.

Islington, London. Up late at Anushka and Denny‘s place on Essex Road. I explain electoral collages to the former, who had an amazing ability to be utterly asleep and then perfectly wake up in time for swing state projections, and then fall back to sleep again. I am called up by an American crying tears of joy from a victory party at 5am our time, and remember thinking (but not saying) I didn’t expect much to change.

November 6th, 2012. Obama wins.

I have zero recollection of this election night. I doubt I’d have bothered with it: it seemed clear Obama would win re-election from the moment he sanctioned the extra-judicial killing of Bin Laden.

November 8th, 2016. Trump wins.

I work the overnight shift on the news desk at The Guardian. The room is quiet, and becomes quieter as it becomes clear the unthinkable is happening. I walk up to Angel at 7am and get breakfast at The Breakfast Club – an American-themed diner.

I then try to get a pint at Angel Wetherspoons, but they are closed due to power shortages. I can see Trump on multiple screens through the door, broadcasting his words to an empty room.

November 3rd, 2020. Biden wins.

As with 2012, I have almost zero recollection of this election.

November 5th, 2024. Winner uncertain at the time of writing.

Brighton is thick with firework smoke, the trains to Lewes all suspended due to overcrowding from those wanting to watch the fiery parade, a ghoulish echo of the torch-wielding fascists of Charlottesville.. My American friends online don’t even want to talk about the election, which makes me suspect Trump has won.

We shall see.