How The Media Plays A Crucial Role In Figuring Out Who Wins Elections

Most Americans are pretty certain they know who won an election from news media, which play a large role in not only reporting election results but figuring out who won — usually long before the last votes are counted and certified.

It works like this: The United States has a decentralized system for counting votes in national elections. No single government authority oversees the process. Instead, officials in more than 4,000 counties, townships and parishes across the nation tally votes for president, Congress, governor, state legislature and a host of state and local offices. The Associated Press will deploy more than 5,000 workers on Nov. 6 to collect vote results from government agencies and report them to news organizations — and the public — around the world. In all, The AP will report results for nearly 7,000 races. Government officials get the final say on who wins elections — Congress verifies the Electoral College votes for president and vice president, while state and county officials certify election results in their jurisdictions. But the media get the first word on election night, an important role in the democratic process of a nation that demands fast and accurate information.