Watch: How the Associated Press does call 2026 midterm election winners — 4 things to know

Collecting votes across the country

The AP plans to tabulate nearly 7,000 contests, from congressional races and gubernatorial elections to state legislative and some local races. About 4,000 AP journalists will gather results from precincts and election offices nationwide.

Around 1,000 vote-entry clerks will take calls from AP reporters and enter candidates’ totals into the agency’s election-night reporting system. The figures are checked against county and state websites or electronic feeds before the Decision Team evaluates them. David Scott, the AP’s vice president for U.S. election services, described the work as “the single largest act of journalism there is.”

When the AP calls a race

Many outcomes are declared on election night, but some take longer. The AP called the 2020 presidential contest for Joe Biden four days after Election Day; in 2000, it did not call the close Florida race between George W. Bush and Al Gore.

A survey reaches early voters

The AP previously used AP VoteCast to study general elections from 2018 to 2024. It partnered with ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, MS NOW and NBC News last year to develop the new poll.

Voting habits have shifted

Scott said about 95% of Americans voted at polling places on Election Day in 1972; now, fewer than half do. Most voters cast ballots early, either by mail or through in-person voting before Election Day.

The Voter Poll cannot be used to call races, but it can indicate how an election may be moving. Scott said demographic shifts in 2024 “pointed early in the night to success” for Trump. Scott said the survey was designed to reach Americans regardless of how they cast their ballots and give them a chance to answer questions about the electorate.