Here’s how PBS News will cover election night and what could be a slow march to final results.
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Decision time
We’ve arrived.
The final polls ([link removed]) are flooding in, and the candidates have raced to get their final messages ([link removed]) out to voters.
More than 80 million Americans have already cast ballots ([link removed]) , and Election Day is the last chance for voters to weigh in on who will be the next president.
Here’s how PBS News will cover election night and what could be a slow march to final results.
This newsletter was compiled by Joshua Barajas ([link removed]) and Erica R. Hendry. ([link removed])
HOW WE’RE COVERING ELECTION NIGHT
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Watch PBS News’ special coverage of Election 2024 in the player above.
PBS News will have special coverage around the clock and across platforms, starting election morning.
There’s a live fact check from PolitiFact, who will focus on voting, any issues or irregularities, the closing of the polls, and fact checks and stories on claims about the election results.
At noon, live streaming coverage begins, ([link removed]) highlighting our election stories from throughout the year. Watch for live updates from our correspondents in the field, starting at 3 p.m. EST.
We’ll run live updates on our website, ([link removed]) starting at 5:30 p.m. EST. Think of it as your cheat sheet to the biggest developments, race calls, latest insights and updates from our team of correspondents in the field.
The News Hour broadcast will begin at 6 p.m. EST.
Starting at 7, anchors Amna Nawaz ([link removed]) and Geoff Bennett ([link removed]) will host on-air special analysis with a group of panelists and special guests, including:
* Judy Woodruff ([link removed]) , News Hour special correspondent and former anchor and managing editor
* Amy Walter ([link removed]) , publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter
* David Brooks ([link removed]) , New York Times columnist
* Jonathan Capehart ([link removed]) , Washington Post associate editor
* Kevin Madden ([link removed]) , Republican strategist
* Faiz Shakir ([link removed]) , Democratic strategist
When polls close, correspondent Lisa Desjardins ([link removed]) will be at our live results wall, breaking down results for president, Senate, House and ballot initiatives with real-time graphics.
We’ll stream significant speeches from candidates and any statements from the presidential campaigns.
Results in real time
You can keep track of results with our interactive live results ([link removed]) , which you can sort by state or overall balance of power. See where the race to 270 electoral votes stands with our Electoral College calculator.
It’s worth noting here that it took days to determine the winner of the 2020 election. It’s possible and not unusual or abnormal that counting ballots will extend beyond election night. This is also true for down-ballot races, including those that will determine control of the House.
The morning after the election, digital video producer Deema Zein ([link removed]) will host a live chat ([link removed]) with Desjardins starting at 11 a.m. EST, highlighting major takeaways and taking viewer questions.
We’ll run our stream and live results until winners are called.
Check your local listings to find the PBS station near you, or watch online here. ([link removed])
You can also follow the PBS News’ coverage on YouTube ([link removed]) , X ([link removed]) , Facebook ([link removed]) and TikTok ([link removed]) , and see highlights on our Instagram. ([link removed])
What Harris and Trump have promised?
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Watch the video in the player above.
Catch-up fast on where Harris and Trump stand on key issues. ([link removed]) We compare how the two candidates differ on:
* How to boost the economy ([link removed])
* Social Security and Medicare spending ([link removed])
* Abortion access and reproductive rights ([link removed])
* How to address climate change ([link removed])
* How to counter crime and gun violence ([link removed])
* Key foreign policy issues, ([link removed]) like the wars in Ukraine and Middle East
* Immigration and border security ([link removed])
WE’D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
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Kelli Cole of Shreveport, Louisiana, shared a photo of her “I Voted” sticker featuring a dapper crawfish named Mark de Ballot. ([link removed])
Plan on voting or already voted? Send us photos of you and your sticker to
[email protected] (mailto:
[email protected]) or by using this form. ([link removed]) And tell us why voting is important to you. We’ll share a few of the responses in our Election Day newsletter.
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WHERE THE CANDIDATES STAND
Polls have become a staple of election coverage. Those released in the waning hours of presidential elections often receive outsized attention, including a Des Moines Register poll over the weekend that showed Harris with a 3-point lead ([link removed]) over Trump in Iowa, and a trio of Marist polls at the end of last week that found Harris leading Trump in the “blue wall” states ([link removed]) of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Our own final election poll with NPR and Marist showed Harris up 4 points ([link removed]) , and a significant narrowing of the gender gap.
It’s important to remember that polls are a snapshot of how Americans feel at a moment in time, a high-level read on issues or candidates.
Lee Miringoff, who directs the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, offers a word of caution to poll-obsessed political observers.
“If you want to know who is going to win and who is going to carry every state, that’s not what this is going to tell you. It just tells you that the advantage is hers going in,” Miringoff said. “The polls have been continuing to monitor just how polarized the nation is.”
Here’s a reminder of how our polling comes together ([link removed]) , and why the margin of error matters. ([link removed])
WHAT TO EXPECT
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Photo by Allison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images
In short, the 2024 presidential race has zigged and zagged ([link removed]) in a matter of months.
Trump survived an initial assassination attempt. Joe Biden dropped out after a disastrous debate performance. Kamala Harris stepped in. There was another apparent assassination plot on Trump’s life.
While pursuing a second term in the White House, Trump became the first former U.S. president to be convicted of felony crimes. If elected, he’ll also be the first person convicted of felonies to assume the Oval Office.
Harris made history ([link removed]) securing the Democratic nomination. If Harris wins November’s election, she’ll also be the first woman, first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent elected president. Harris would also join a small club of sitting vice presidents who were elected president. Only one sitting vice president – George H.W. Bush in 1988 ([link removed]) – has become president since 1836.
The battle for control of Congress
Echoing the dead-heat nature of the presidential race, control for both chambers of Congress could come down to the margins. A smattering of contests across the country will decide which party controls each chamber.
* Here’s how Republicans could take the Senate ([link removed])
* Here’s how Democrats could take the House ([link removed])
When will we know the winner?
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Watch the segment in the player above.
As polls close and vote counting begins, some election outcomes may not be known ([link removed]) by the end of election night.
Answering the simple question of “Who won?” takes time. Results from Florida will be among the first to be released election night, while ballots in California take longer to tabulate, in part because its voters heavily rely on mail-in ballots.
This is not unusual, and is a reflection of a safe and secure electoral process. (Though Trump has pushed falsehoods about noncitizens voting in elections, this is a rare occurrence ([link removed]) and illegal. ([link removed]) )
PBS News and other outlets rely on the Associated Press, which keeps track of thousands of competitive races, to call the winners. We took a close look at how AP’s Decision Desk calls races. ([link removed])
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