Election Night & Post-Election Terms

The evening on which polls close and initial vote totals begin to be reported publicly. Election night coverage typically involves real-time reporting of results as precincts report in, analysis of voting patterns, and projections by news organizations of which candidates have won various races. It is important to understand that election night results are unofficial and incomplete: ballots cast by mail, absentee voters, and provisional voters are often counted in the days following the election, meaning that the results reported on election night may shift significantly before the final count is certified.

The vote totals reported from an individual precinct, the smallest unit of election administration. As precincts report their results to county election offices on election night, those numbers are aggregated and reported publicly. The order and speed at which precincts report can significantly affect how results look at any given moment during the night, since precincts in urban and rural areas, or those using different ballot methods, may report at very different rates.

The process of counting votes and producing official totals. Tabulation involves running ballots through scanning machines or counting them by hand, reconciling the number of ballots counted against the number issued, and producing a summary of results. Tabulation is conducted by local election officials following established procedures and is subject to observation by partisan representatives and nonpartisan monitors. The tabulation process continues after election night until all valid ballots, including mail-in, absentee, and provisional ballots, have been counted.

A measure used in election night coverage to indicate how much of the vote has been counted and reported, expressed as the number or percentage of precincts that have submitted their results. While reporting precincts is a useful indicator of progress, it can be misleading as a measure of how many votes have actually been counted, since precincts vary significantly in size and because large numbers of mail-in and absentee ballots may be counted separately and not tied to specific precinct reporting.

A forecast made by a news organization or data analyst that a particular candidate is likely to win a race, based on the votes counted so far combined with statistical modeling of the outstanding vote. Projections are not official results and can occasionally be wrong, particularly in very close races or when the remaining uncounted ballots are disproportionately concentrated in areas that favor one candidate. Responsible news organizations are careful to distinguish between projections and confirmed results and to explain the basis for their calls.

The moment at which a news organization or election analyst officially projects that a candidate has won a race with enough certainty to report them as the winner. A race call is not an official government determination of the winner but rather an editorial judgment made by the calling organization based on the available data. Different organizations may call the same race at different times depending on their methodology and risk tolerance for incorrect calls. The Associated Press race call is widely considered the most authoritative in the United States.

A projection made by the Associated Press that a particular candidate has won a race. The AP has been calling races since 1848 and is considered the most widely trusted and carefully methodical race-calling organization in the United States. AP calls are used as the reference standard by many news organizations and are based on a combination of vote returns, statistical modeling, and information gathered by AP reporters in the field. The AP does not call a race until it is confident the projected winner cannot be overtaken.

The team of analysts and data scientists at a news organization responsible for making race calls on election night. Decision desks use a combination of incoming vote totals, historical voting patterns, demographic data, and statistical models to project winners as results come in. The decision desk operates separately from the newsroom and editorial side of a news organization and is typically shielded from political considerations in making its calls.

The official governmental process by which election results are formally verified and declared final. Certification typically occurs in stages: county or local election officials certify their results first, followed by state-level certification by the secretary of state or a state canvassing board. For presidential elections, certification by each state is followed by the congressional certification of the Electoral College results in a joint session of Congress on January 6. Certification is a legal requirement and the final step that makes election results official.

The official process by which election authorities review, verify, and tabulate all ballots cast in an election to produce a final, certified vote count. The canvass is distinct from the unofficial election night count and involves a systematic reconciliation of all ballots cast against all ballots issued, a review of provisional and challenged ballots, and verification that all precincts have reported. The canvass is conducted after Election Day and typically takes days to weeks to complete depending on the jurisdiction and the volume of ballots.

A retabulation of votes cast in an election, conducted when the margin of victory is close enough to trigger either an automatic recount under state law or a request from a candidate or party. Recounts can involve running ballots through tabulation machines again or counting them by hand. While recounts rarely change the outcome of an election, they serve an important function in verifying the accuracy of the original count and building public confidence in results. The procedures, triggers, and costs of recounts vary significantly by state.

A recount that is triggered automatically under state law when the margin of victory falls below a specified threshold, without requiring a request from any candidate. The threshold for an automatic recount varies by state, commonly ranging from one-quarter of one percent to one percent of the total votes cast. Automatic recount provisions are designed to ensure that close elections are independently verified without requiring the losing candidate to initiate the process.

A recount initiated at the request of a candidate, political party, or in some states any voter, rather than being triggered automatically by the margin of results. Most states allow candidates to request a recount if the margin falls within a certain range, and some require the requesting party to pay the cost of the recount if the results are not changed significantly. A requested recount that does not change the outcome typically results in the requesting party bearing the expense.

A formal legal challenge to the results of an election, filed in court or with an administrative body, alleging that errors, fraud, or other irregularities affected the outcome. An election contest is distinct from a recount, which simply retabulates votes, and involves legal proceedings to examine evidence and potentially order a new election or a change in the certified results. Election contests are rare and face a high legal bar, as courts generally require substantial evidence that irregularities actually affected the outcome rather than simply could have.

An informal term for a presidential election in which the outcome is not determined on election night because the race in one or more decisive states is too close to call, requiring days or weeks of ballot counting and potentially recounts or legal proceedings before a winner can be projected. The term reflects the extended and often tense period of uncertainty that follows a very close election.