When will we know the full election results?

When polls close at 8:00 p.m. local time, election officials can begin releasing unofficial election results. Even though results are announced as soon as polls close, the outcome of a race may not be clear for a while. It depends on how close the race is and how many voters return their mail-in ballots on Election Day. Mail-in ballots take longer to process than in-person ballots because once the voter returns the mail-in ballot, additional steps are required to verify the ballot, record it, and then prepare it for tallying.

In 2020, the Associated Press — which tracks races across the U.S. — was unable to call President Joe Biden winning Michigan until 5:56 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the day after the Nov. 3, 2020 election. The AP called races before all votes were counted, based on an analysis of already reported votes and other election data. The Free Press relies on the AP's calls.