Election results are a snapshot of voters’ choices at the time of casting their ballots. Results can change as more votes are counted. These data are only as accurate as the methods used to collect and report them, so they can be influenced by many factors, including media coverage and public perception of a race’s outcome.
News outlets have developed systems that allow them to make predictions about a winner before all of the votes are counted. These systems link a variety of data sources, including exit polls, partial results from early in-person and mail ballots collected before Election Day, the percentage of precincts reporting, patterns in past elections, and more. Each media outlet has its own unique system that informs the prediction it will make—which is sometimes referred to as a “call.”
After a call is made, reporters continue to track and update the progress of the vote counting for each race. This work often goes on for days or even weeks after Election Day, ensuring that all ballots are counted accurately and thoroughly before the results are certified by state election officials and become official.
Elections are primarily governed by state law and administered at the local and county levels, rather than by federal agencies. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) administers federal campaign finance laws, but does not oversee elections or voting in the United States. See below for contact information for state and territory election offices.
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