--- title: "US News Outlets Detail Midterm Election Race Call Methods" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/us-news-outlets-detail-midterm-election-race-call-methods" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/us-news-outlets-detail-midterm-election-race-call-methods" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/us-news-outlets-detail-midterm-election-race-call-methods.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/us-news-outlets-detail-midterm-election-race-call-methods" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-11-01T21:45:38.829Z" source_reported: "2026-11-01T21:01:00.000Z" updated: "2026-11-01T21:45:38.829Z" trust_score: 68 critic_score: 68 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-11-01T21:45:16.159766+00:00" --- # US News Outlets Detail Midterm Election Race Call Methods *Major news organizations rely on AP and Decision Desk HQ for vote counts and projections.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 68 of 100, higher is better. Central claims attributed to named bodies, with specific dates and locations, and multiple independent outlets cited. - Craft 68 of 100, higher is better. Explains the process clearly, quotes experts, and details how projections can be wrong. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. The presentation is measured and proportionate, with no sensationalism or loaded adjectives. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - US television networks and digital outlets will project winners in midterm elections before all votes are counted. - Most outlets rely on vote counts from the Associated Press or Decision Desk HQ. - Some news organizations, like Fox News, will make their own projections using AP data and independent analysis. - Race calls can be retracted if vote counts shift significantly, as has happened with both AP and DDHQ in the past. News organizations across the United States are preparing to announce winners in the midterm elections, often before every vote has been counted. The majority of television networks and digital news outlets depend on either the Associated Press (AP) or the election data firm Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) for vote counts. Some outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and MS NOW, will exclusively use AP data for their race calls. Others, such as Fox News and CBS News, will develop their own projections by combining AP vote counts with exit polls, early voting totals, and their own statistical modeling. The AP has been counting votes in US elections since 1848, employing thousands of reporters to verify results. DDHQ, conversely, gathers data from official state sources and uses statistical analysis, modeling, and expert review to project winners, with its clients including NewsNation and X. ## Disagreements on Race Call Methods While most major outlets utilize the same AP vote count tabulation, the methods for calling races vary. The AP calls a race only when the trailing candidate cannot mathematically catch up. DDHQ, on the other hand, requires unanimous team agreement and sign-off from its head of data science for final projections. Both AP and DDHQ have a history of withdrawing race calls when subsequent vote counts have altered the projected outcome, such as in past mayoral and congressional races. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention the specific confidence levels in news organizations' reporting of election results, nor the finding that Democrats are more trusting than Republicans, as reported by Devdiscourse. The right-rated digests also do not include details about the specific number of reporters the AP will deploy for the midterms or the methodology DDHQ uses to calculate the percentage of ballots counted. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 33% (2) - Right: 67% (4) 1 of 7 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-11-01T21:45:16.159766+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 2 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-11-01T22:15:14.511Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The centre-rated reports highlighted the reliance of most US television networks and digital outlets on two primary providers for vote counts: the Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ. These reports detailed that some outlets, such as the Wall Street Journal and MS NOW, would depend solely on the AP. They also noted that other organizations, like Fox News and CBS News, would create their own projections using AP data alongside their own analysis and models. The full report from Devdiscourse explained that the AP has been counting votes since 1848 and that DDHQ uses statistical analysis and expert review. Both centre-rated reports mentioned that race calls can be retracted, citing past instances involving AP and DDHQ. ### Right - The right-rated reports focused on how news organizations, particularly Fox News, will make their own race calls. They stated that most networks use either the Associated Press or Decision Desk HQ for vote counts, with some outlets like the Wall Street Journal and MS NOW relying exclusively on the AP. The digests indicated that outlets such as Fox News and CBS News would make their own projections based on AP vote counts, exit polls, and their own statistical modeling. The reports also mentioned that race calls can be withdrawn, referencing past instances where both AP and DDHQ have retracted projections. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 2 - high: 3 - unknown: 1 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [wfmd.com](https://wfmd.com/2026/11/01/how-the-fox-news-decision-desk-calls-races) — How the Fox News Decision Desk Calls Races - [Devdiscourse](https://devdiscourse.com/article/international/4000288-explainer-how-us-news-organizations-will-make-midterm-race-calls) — EXPLAINER-How US news organizations will make midterm race calls - [Modern Diplomacy](https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2026/11/01/us-midterm-elections-explained-how-news-networks-decide-when-to-call-a-race) — US Midterm Elections Explained: How News Networks Decide When to Call a Race - [regionalmedianews.com](https://regionalmedianews.com/news/national/politics/explainer-how-us-news-organizations-will-make-midterm-race-calls) — Explainer-How US news organizations will make midterm race calls - Regional Media News - [Egyptian Gazette](https://egyptian-gazette.com/world/how-us-media-will-call-the-midterms) — How US media will call the midterms - [The Straits Times](https://straitstimes.com/world/explainer-how-us-news-organizations-will-make-midterm-race-calls) — Explainer-How US news organizations will make midterm race calls - [WTVB](https://wtvbam.com/2026/11/01/explainer-how-us-news-organizations-will-make-midterm-race-calls) — Explainer-How US news organizations will make midterm race calls ## Questions **How do US news outlets determine election winners before all votes are counted?** Most US television networks and digital outlets rely on vote counts from either the Associated Press or Decision Desk HQ. These organizations use statistical analysis, modeling, and expert review, alongside vote totals and past voting patterns, to project winners when a race is statistically certain. **Can election race calls be changed after they are made?** Yes, race calls can be retracted. Both the Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ have withdrawn projections in past elections when subsequent vote counts shifted the lead away from the initially projected winner. **Which organizations provide vote counts for US news outlets?** The two primary providers for vote counts used by US news organizations are the Associated Press (AP) and Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ). Some outlets use only AP, while others use DDHQ or a combination of data sources for their projections. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/us-news-outlets-detail-midterm-election-race-call-methods. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "US News Outlets Detail Midterm Election Race Call Methods", https://mediabias.news/politics/us-news-outlets-detail-midterm-election-race-call-methods