With 36 states holding gubernatorial contests and control of the U.S. House and Senate in play, the stakes are high in the midterm elections on Tuesday, when The Associated Press will be uniquely positioned to count the votes and report the results.
AP has reporters working in every statehouse through the year, and on election night its proven network of over 4,000 stringers will be deployed across the country to help gather vote counts. With a history of accuracy dating to 1848, AP’s vote count is considered by news organizations and the audiences they serve to be the definitive source of race results. No other national news organization can match AP’s footprint, on-the-ground knowledge or the deep expertise of our elections team in Washington.
AP’s coverage began long before the first ballots were cast. The national politics team, headed by U.S. Political Editor Steven Sloan, endeavors to break news while providing clarity and crucial context.
In the runup to Tuesday, AP will publish stories on early voting, election security and key ballot measures, as well as explainers on what to look for on Election Day and analyses on how the outcome will affect the next two years of President Donald Trump’s presidency and how the results may alter the political landscape for 2020.
On election night, AP will count the vote in more than 5,000 races and will call the winners in 35 Senate, 36 gubernatorial and 435 congressional races using state-of-the-art analytical tools, its new AP VoteCast survey and its premier AP vote count to help determine when a race is decided. State-based race callers also will designate winners in about 4,700 additional races, from state constitutional officers to state legislatures to ballot initiatives.
“In a deeply divided country, AP’s role in calling races and covering the results — and what they mean for the U.S. and the world — in a fast and authoritative way is more important than ever,” said AP Washington Bureau Chief Julie Pace, who is in charge of campaign coverage. “The effort will leverage AP’s resources both in Washington and across every state to provide deep coverage to members and customers.”
Highlights include:
- In addition to robust text, photo and video coverage across all 50 states, AP will provide live video from voting sites and candidate rallies across the U.S., as well as live shots overlooking the Capitol and White House.
- AP will provide video reports on races key to determining control of the House and Senate, and AP political reporters will give on-camera analysis, including on the impact the results have on President Donald Trump and the 2020 presidential race. Video analysis of AP VoteCast results will also be offered.
- A real-time documentary-in-miniature on the @apnews Instagram account will focus on AP journalists as Election Day unfolds to give the public a better understanding of how AP covers elections.
- Shareable text, video and photo elements will be available on APNews.com and the AP News app, as well as on AP Twitter accounts.
- Photos of the elections, including from election night rallies and polling places across the country, are available via AP Images.
- AP Global Media Services will serve an array of TV broadcasters by operating live stand-up positions in New York, Washington, California, Texas and Florida.
Contact
Lauren Easton
Director of Media Relations
The Associated Press
212-621-7005
leaston@ap.org
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