As voters cast ballots and results pour in for 435 House races, 35 Senate races, 36 gubernatorial contests, and thousands of other state and local seats, determining election winners is a massive undertaking. To ensure accuracy, NPR partners with the Associated Press to make race calls during the 2026 election coverage.
The Race-Calling Process
The Associated Press has called elections since 1848, relying on a straightforward yet rigorous process led by its Decision Team and specialized analysts. Staff examine incoming votes county by county and evaluate ballots by type, distinguishing between in-person votes at polling places and advance ballots cast by mail or in person. They maintain constant contact with vote-count teams to track how many ballots remain uncounted.
By comparing outstanding ballots against counted totals, AP staff calculate the likelihood of victory based on geographic origins, community demographics, and voting methods. Once the AP issues a race call, NPR immediately broadcasts the news, publishes digital stories, shares the data with hundreds of member stations, and updates real-time election results pages.
Certainty Over Projections
Races are frequently called before 100 percent of the vote is tallied. According to the AP, journalists and analysts call a contest as soon as a clear winner is determined and no trailing candidate has a viable path to victory. These determinations are factual declarations based on concrete data rather than speculation or exit polls.
NPR and the AP strictly avoid projecting races or relying on candidate victory declarations and concession speeches. Editors wait for absolute surety, famously refusing to call the tight 2000 presidential contest between George W. Bush and Al Gore because the Florida margin was too narrow.
Every race call is accompanied by transparent reporting detailing the research and analysis behind the decision. NPR will continue covering all major race calls on air and online as vote tabulation determines the final balance of power in Congress.
