NPR Relies on Associated Press to Call 2026 Election Races

Voters are casting ballots for 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, and 36 gubernatorial races, along with thousands of state legislative contests. NPR will not announce winners independently. Instead, the network partners with the Associated Press to determine outcomes for all major races in the 2026 election.

The Associated Press has called races since 1848. Its current process involves race callers working with analysts who track vote counts by county. They examine the type of ballot cast, whether in person at polling places or by mail and in-person advance voting. Decision editors on the AP's Decision Team sign off on calls for the presidency, Senate, governorships, and significant House races.

AP staff analyze how many votes have been counted versus how many remain outstanding. They assess the geographic and demographic makeup of areas where ballots are still uncounted. This allows them to calculate the likelihood that the leading candidate maintains a lead that no other contender can overcome once all votes are tallied.

The AP does not make projections or name apparent winners. A race is called only when the organization is fully confident that the trailing candidates no longer have a path to victory. This standard means races are often called before 100 percent of votes are counted. The AP cited the 2000 presidential election as an example where it withheld a call in Florida due to the narrow margin between George W. Bush and Al Gore.

NPR follows these same ethical guidelines. The network will not call a race based on a candidate's declaration of victory or a concession speech. Once the AP issues a call, NPR alerts its broadcast and digital audiences. It also provides the data to hundreds of member stations and populates its election results pages in real time.

The AP backs every race call with transparent reporting that details the research and analysis behind the decision. This explanatory journalism accompanies the announcement of the winner. Counting may continue after election night, but race calls will be tabulated to determine the balance of power in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

NPR will provide ongoing coverage of the 2026 election results. The network will track how the 435 House races, 35 Senate races, and 36 gubernatorial contests shake out. It will report on ballot measures and state legislative seats as the vote counts are finalized.