{"id":9496,"date":"2020-10-22T16:00:06","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T21:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/election-night-marks-the-end-of-one-phase-of-campaign-2020-and-the-start-of-another\/"},"modified":"2024-04-13T23:44:22","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T04:44:22","slug":"election-night-marks-the-end-of-one-phase-of-campaign-2020-and-the-start-of-another","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2020\/10\/22\/election-night-marks-the-end-of-one-phase-of-campaign-2020-and-the-start-of-another\/","title":{"rendered":"Election night marks the end of one phase of campaign 2020 \u2013 and the start of another"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/a>
A worker processes ballots at the Orange County Registrar of Voters in Santa Ana, California, on Oct. 16, 2020. (Jeff Gritchen\/MediaNews Group\/Orange County Register via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On Nov. 3, millions of Americans will trek to their local polling places to cast their ballots for the next president. That evening, after the polls close, they\u2019ll settle down in front of their televisions to watch the returns roll in from across the country. Sometime that night or early the next morning, the networks and wire services will call the race, and Americans will know whether President Donald Trump has won a second term or been ousted by former Vice President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just about every statement in the previous paragraph is false, misleading or at best lacking important context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, Americans have gotten used to their election nights coming off like a well-produced game show, with the big reveal coming before bedtime (a few exceptions like the 2000 election<\/a> notwithstanding). In truth, they\u2019ve never been quite as simple or straightforward as they appeared. And this year, which has already upended so much of what Americans took for granted, seems poised to expose some of the wheezy 18th- and 19th-century mechanisms that still shape the way a president is elected in the 21st century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s our guide to what happens after <\/em>the polls close on election night. While you may remember some of the details from high school civics class, others were new even to us. Keeping them in mind may help you make sense of what promises to be an election night like no other<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How we did this<\/div>