When Will We Know the Results of the Midterm Elections?

Election Day is underway, with tens of millions of voters heading to the polls around the U.S. But it could be days, or even weeks, before it becomes clear which party will control each chamber of Congress for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s second term. Some races are likely to be called on Tuesday night, while in other, tighter contests it could take multiple days—if not longer—to determine a winner. It all boils down to the states, which the U.S. Constitution empowers to establish the times, places, and manners of holding elections and counting ballots. Certain states are known for having shorter count times, such as Florida. Others typically take longer, like California, due to its size, and Alaska, where ranked-choice voting can make the process of certifying votes more complicated.“There are all these differences, both in process and deadlines, and geography, and who the voters are, and who the candidates are, that make a difference in what this looks like,” Mitchell Brown, a professor of political science at Auburn University and the author of “How We Vote: Innovations in American Elections,” tells TIME.Mitchell says that it could take up to 30 days before all the ...