After polls close, the real presidential election starts. Here's a guide to deadlines from Election Day to inauguration

 (CNN)There is a lot of anxiety about the presidential election and specifically about what will happen if the results are unclear.

President Donald Trump and his allies have suggested that the system is only fair if a winner is declared on election night, but that's a horrible misreading of the US Constitution and US law, both of which make clear that the technical process of picking a president is only getting started on Election Day.

The system is especially confusing because voters only cast ballots to determine which candidate gets to send a handpicked group of allies known as electors to the Electoral College, where the actual presidential vote takes place. (Here's a refresher on that.)

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