Washington, September 29: Less than five weeks remain for an electoral contest that has drawn attention from across the world. Considered as the "most crucial election" to determine the United States' future, the forthcoming presidential polls is a high-stake battle between incumbent President Donald Trump and his Democratic Party rival Joe Biden. Donald Trump vs Joe Biden Presidential Debate: Date, Time, Where And How To Watch Live Stream of The Event | US Elections 2020 Guide.

The election calendar - as pollsters refer to it - includes dates of the key presidential debates, day of polling, expected time of results and the "Inauguration Day" - which marks the culmination of process to elect the President. Here are important dates to mark out.

September 29: Start of Presidential Debates

The first out of three scheduled presidential debates between Trump and Biden will be held today. The high-voltage face-off is scheduled at  Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. The event would be broadcasted live from 9 pm to 10:30 pm (local time). Moderator of the debate is Fox News Anchor Chris Wallace.

October 7: Sole Vice Presidential Debate

The only debate between Vice President Joe Biden and his challenger Kamala Harris would take place on October 7 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The venue would be Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah, and the debate would be moderated by USA Today’s Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page.

October 15: Second Presidential Debate

The second presidential debate is scheduled on this date. This is the period which pollsters claim to be most crucial as the swing voters usually decide their preference a fortnight before the polls. The debate would be held at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida, on October 15. Steve Scully, the political editor at C-Span, will be the moderator.

October 22: Final Trump-Biden Debate

The last of the three presidential debates is scheduled on October 22, in University of Nashville, Tennessee. The final debate would last for 90 minutes, and would be moderated by NBC News’ White House correspondent Kristen Welker.

November 3: Polling Day

Voting across all states of the US will be held on November 3. A large section of the electorate are also opting for the mail-in ballots to avoid serpentine queues amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Early voting has also begun in a number of provinces. The results, which are usually expected on the election night, is likely to be delayed this year due to the large number of mail-in ballots that will be used.

January 20: US Presidential Inauguration Day

On this day, the President-elect and the Vice President-elect officially takeover the charge from their predecessors, or retain their posts if the incumbents are elected. As part of the inaugural ceremony, the President - who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the US armed forces - attends a parade from the US Capitol to the White House.

The election results over the past three decades have shown that the US electorate end up preferring their incumbent head of state. Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama - the three predecessors of Trump - had succeeded in a winning a second term. Will history be repeated? The answer will be out in the first week of November.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 29, 2020 04:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).