Why are different races called at different times?

A news outlet will call a race when they decide that they can confidently predict the winner and announce their prediction to the public. The time when news outlets will make a call for each race can vary from shortly after polls close on Election Day to many days later. News outlets may call winners for different races in the same state at very different times.

Remember, each news outlet’s call is only an unofficial prediction by that news outlet. It does not impact how votes are counted. No election results are official until all votes are counted and the results are certified by election officials—and that has always been days or weeks after Election Day.

News outlets make calls at different times for two main reasons:

1. Some races are closer than others. When initial analysis and exit polls show a big lead, news outlets may call a race soon after the polls close. If a race appears close, news outlets will wait until nearly all votes have been counted, which can take many hours or even several days. A close race will not be called if there is a chance that uncounted votes could allow the trailing candidate to overtake the leading candidate.
2. Jurisdictions count ballots at different speeds. State and local variation in policies, staffing levels, vote counting equipment, and the volume of ballots affects how fast ballots are counted. The speed at which ballots can be counted in each jurisdiction has an impact on when news outlets have enough information to make calls in close races.

For additional information:

• Associated Press, “How we declare winners”
• Associated Press, “If the polls just closed, how can AP already declare a winner?”
• NBC, “How the NBC News Decision Desk makes election calls in 2024 races”
• Vox, “How the press calls elections, explained”