Counting ballots is a long process that continues after Election Day and can take days or even weeks to complete. The counting includes early and mail-in ballots as well as a verification process called a “canvass” to ensure that all votes have been counted accurately. Once a count is complete and certified by elections officials, the official results are reported to the news media.
News outlets track unofficial results in real time as they are available at local counting locations and from sources like government websites. This allows them to report on how close a race is and when they might expect the results to be certified. Despite the large amount of resources devoted to this effort, there may be small differences in the timing of reported results from different media outlets. This is because each outlet allocates its resources differently and may receive updates from some places faster than others.
The 2020 election was unusually tight for several reasons. Vote intention polls were narrower than usual and largely in favour of Hillary Clinton, although some surveys indicated that Trump was a stronger candidate in key swing states. The COVID-19 pandemic and a slowing economy also influenced the outcome, with voters in some cases opting for policies that are perceived to be supportive of economic growth.
The unexpected loss of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry in 2004 fueled conspiracy theories about electoral fraud and sparked calls for amending the Constitution to make the winner of the popular vote the president (Brenan 2020). While the results of this election do not appear to have generated similarly dramatic reactions, it is worth noting that respondents who are disappointed by the result report lower levels of satisfaction with democracy than those who expected to win.