Here's When We'll Know the Official Results of the Electoral College Vote

On Dec. 19, the 538 members of the electoral college vote to officially elect the nation's next president. While the electoral college's vote is typically seen as a democratic formality, this year, it has the potential to drastically change the outcome of what has already been a tempestuous election cycle.

Many electors have launched a plan — being referred to as a "Hail Mary" move — to avoid electing Donald Trump at all costs. In order for another politician to possibly be named president, 37 Republican electors would have to vote for someone other than Trump so that he comes shy of the 270 needed to win. Many are anxiously awaiting the final vote, but the results won't be officially announced until Jan. 6, 2017.

When the electors congregate in their respective states on Monday, they will then cast their votes, which will then be mailed to Congress and the National Archives so that they may be kept as official records. Then, on Jan. 6 at 1 p.m., the House of Representative and the Senate will meet to count the votes, with Joe Biden presiding, according to The New York Times. The sitting vice president will tally the votes, calculate who has the majority of votes, and declare the winner.

If the electors refuse to give the presidency to Trump, the House will have the final say. Each state delegation would need to select the president from one of the three candidates who received the most electoral votes. While it would be an unexpected (and highly unlikely) outcome, this certainly has been an unpredictable election cycle.