Close midterm races may delay final results beyond election night

Election officials in competitive congressional districts are expected to face delays in calling winners in some midterm races, with final results potentially taking days after Election Day, NPR reported.

The delay is not solely due to slow vote counting in states such as California, but also because close races require more scrutiny before news organizations can confidently call a winner, according to NPR and wvik.org.

Stephen Richer, former clerk and recorder for Arizona's Maricopa County, described the intense pressure election workers face during vote counting, including limited resources and public scrutiny, as reported by NPR and wvik.org.

News organizations typically call races based on initial returns and demographic data rather than waiting for all ballots to be counted, which leads to faster calls in races with large margins, NPR explained.

However, in close races, election analysts need to see more results before making a call, which contributes to delays in announcing winners, according to NPR and wvik.org.