Polls start closing at 6 p.m., with six states (Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia) fully closing by 7 p.m., when the Associated Press (AP) may begin making its first race calls. Virginia, which AP called for President Biden at 7:36 p.m. in 2020, could offer an early indication of the night’s results, depending on how soon a call is made.
Polls in North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia close at 7:30 p.m., followed by sixteen more states and the District of Columbia at 8 p.m., and another large group at 9 p.m. In 2020, AP made its first calls for Kentucky and Vermont promptly at 7 p.m., with three more states called before 8 p.m. By midnight, over two dozen states and D.C. had their results announced, although the final outcome took several more days.
When Have Winners Been Announced in Past Elections?
The 2020 presidential race wasn’t decided until the Saturday after Election Day, due to a delayed count in Pennsylvania that ultimately gave Biden the necessary Electoral College votes. In contrast, results came much quicker in prior elections: the 2016 election was called for Trump by 2:29 a.m. the next morning, and Obama’s 2012 win was called at 11:38 p.m. on Election Night.
How Will The Wall Street Journal Call Election Results?
The Wall Street Journal, like many other media outlets, relies on AP’s vote-counting service to make its calls. AP uses a combination of raw vote totals, statistical models, surveys, local insights, and election rules to ensure accurate calls, only announcing a winner once it’s confident there is no possible path for the trailing candidate to take the lead.
Officially, the election results will be finalized later. State electors vote in mid-December based on the state’s popular vote, and these votes are certified on January 6, 2025.
