Election results summarize the voting outcomes of an election. They can be reported in a number of ways, but they are only official once election officials have certified them. The process that leads to those official results can take days or even weeks, depending on the jurisdiction and the complexity of the ballot. During that time, media outlets collect and verify unofficial results in real time at polling locations and through other sources, such as government websites. Once they are confident in their analysis, a news outlet will make a prediction of a winner (often called a call) for each race.
The process of counting votes can be complicated by a variety of factors, including mail ballots, military ballots and provisional ballots. As a result, it can be difficult for news outlets to provide consistent and detailed information on how many ballots remain outstanding across each state or county. This can contribute to differences in the time it takes for different news outlets to report their results and to make calls.
The path to official results is not only complicated, but it’s also crucial that election officials and media professionals work together effectively. When gaps in information are filled with speculation, rumors and preemptive claims of victory, they can undermine public trust in the electoral process. In this article, BPC explores how and why news outlets and elections offices “call” races, identifies common practices among those who do so, and offers some potential best practices for improving collaboration in the future.