By Joseph Ax
(Reuters) - U.S. voters on Nov. 3 will decide whether to give Republican President Donald Trump a second four-year term or replace him with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Here are the important dates in the 2020 presidential contest:
Sept. 29: First presidential debate, Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio. The debate was originally scheduled to take place at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, but the school withdrew as host due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Oct. 7: Vice presidential debate between Republican Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Oct. 15: Second presidential debate at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. The debate was originally scheduled to take place at the University of Michigan, but the school withdrew as host due to the pandemic.
Oct. 22: Third presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Nov. 3: Election Day. Due to an expected widespread use of mail-in voting, it is possible a winner will not be known for days as states tally ballots.
Dec. 14: Members of the Electoral College cast their ballots for president. Under the U.S. system, the winner of each state's popular vote earns that state's electoral votes, which are apportioned by population. The candidate who receives a majority of the 538 electoral votes available, or 270, wins the presidency.
Jan. 6, 2021: Congress meets at 1 p.m. in Washington to count the electoral votes and declare a winner.
Jan. 20, 2021: Inauguration Day. The winner and his running mate are sworn in as president and vice president at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.