When will we know the full election results?

When the polls close at 8:00 PM local time, election officials can begin publishing unofficial election results. While results will start rolling in once the polls close, the outcome of any race may not be clear for a while. It depends on how close the race is and how many voters return their absentee ballots on Election Day. Absentee ballots take longer to process than in-person ballots due to the additional steps required after a voter returns their absentee ballot to verify and log the ballot, and then prepare it for tabulation.

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