After polls close on Election Day, ballots are counted to determine the results of a race. Depending on the state, this process may take days or weeks. During this time, voters can track how their votes are counting through a process called a canvass or recount.
To help the public understand where we stand in a race, news outlets make projections based on their analysis of the data available. They have teams of analysts that work through the night and into the days following the election to make calculations based on partial results, such as the number of early in-person and mail ballots counted, and patterns from past elections. This is a complex calculation and it takes a lot of resources to keep up with the counting.
Then they release their predictions about who is winning, or “calling” a race. The timing of a call can be influenced by whether the analysis makes them confident in their prediction. It can also be impacted by how fast different news outlets receive their updates from local officials or other sources, such as government websites.
Despite the fact that some races are being called, news outlets will continue to report on the ongoing vote counting until all the votes are counted and certified. This includes continuing to count absentee ballots; adding verified provisional ballots; and, in some states, conducting a process called a hand or machine recount to ensure that all ballots are accurately counted.
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