Election results are the summaries of votes cast in a particular election. They include the total number of ballots cast in person or by mail and how many are counted for each candidate. They also include the number of electoral college votes for each state’s winner.
News outlets track the counting process and analyze the data to make predictions about the outcome of each race. When their analysis makes them confident enough, they will “call” the predicted winner of a race. However, these calls are unofficial and not official until all ballots are counted and certified by election officials. This is a long and sometimes slow process that can take days or weeks to complete.
Some states count in-person and absentee ballots as they are received, while others wait until after polls close on Election Day to begin counting them. In either case, local election workers can only report results to the public once all ballots have been counted and verified.
Some observers—including reporters for news outlets and members of the public—watch the voting process at work, while others monitor the counting of ballots at the county level or by precinct. These observations can help ensure that the voting system is operating as it should, and can inform media coverage. The EAC hosted a conversation on preparing for election night reporting and covering elections where there may be challenges such as misinformation or inaccurate information. Watch the video below.