U.S. Elections

No recurring news event demands more from The Associated Press than an election. People look to the AP to tally and report the vote that would elect a president, governor or member of Congress. The news industry turns to the AP to provide fast and reliable results.

AP counts national, state, district and some regional and local races, including primaries, runoffs and general elections. AP also provides national trend reports on changes in congressional and legislative composition by party.

Year-round, AP has six general staff employees and about 20 quality control, research and field coordinators, as well as a handful of developers, working on election systems. On a general election night the operation expands to about 5,000 staff and freelance reporters.

"AP has bodies in almost every U.S. county and parish," says AP Director of Election Services Brian Scanlon.

You can find AP's election coverage in AP member newspapers and on their websites, on broadcasts, in interactives, on the big portals and on many other news client websites. AP statistics will also drive conversations on social networks.

On this site, learn more about how AP covers the vote count, calls the winners and provides comprehensive reporting and analysis of election results.

AP has compiled a list of U.S. political terms, phrases and definitions to assist in coverage of national elections. The guidance encompasses the Democratic and Republican conventions to nominate presidential candidates; terminology for presidential races; campaign rhetoric; and elections for the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Many of the terms are from the AP Stylebook. Others include writing with context and avoiding clichés.