The Associated Press role in reporting election results
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By Jessica Brown
Tuesday night’s election was a nail-biter for many, not the least of election night stringers, or the individuals who commonly have a background in journalism and report election results to the Associated Press when polls close.
Since 1848, the Decision Team of the Associated Press has been declaring winners up and down the ballot for the entire nation. The AP’s election report is produced by this dedicated team of election analysts, researchers and race callers, also known as stringers.
These individuals are selected and then given instructions on how to accurately report vote totals to the AP after those totals have all been tabulated by election officials in a specific location. In Illinois, stringers are selected to report on a county and the final results they receive are given to them by those election officials.
When polls close on election night, it’s stringers who call the final ballot numbers into the AP, who will only declare the winner of a given race when it is fully confident the candidate who trails has no chance at victory. Many races are won on election night but it can take days or even weeks to reach a final decision. This can prove problematic for obvious reasons, as the nation’s citizens are often anxious to learn results.
Only facts are included in the final decision to declare a winner, as the AP does not speculate. That means this final decision is not beholden to any other organization, nor does the AP engage in a debate with any candidate. It will report newsworthy developments, like the concession of a candidate or if one would declare victory early.
