We call it Election Night, but this year we may want to amend it: call it Election Week, or Election Month – or even the Election Era.

All a way of saying this may not be settled for a while.

The pandemic has supercharged voting by mail, which can take longer to process than traditional ballots (often due to state laws regulating when they can be counted). But just because mailed ballots may be counted later doesn’t make them less valid. 

So while we may get near-complete results late tonight or early tomorrow from key states like Florida and Arizona, projections from other swing states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania may emerge only later this week -- or longer. And that’s not including any further delays from court challenges that may emerge.

To be sure, a winner may be projected tonight. It’s just among one possibility in this most unusual year. And we use that term – projected – intentionally. A winner is never officially certified until weeks after the election.

The images of who “won” and “lost” you may be used to from previous elections are all based on analyses, often from the TV – not official results.  To get a final result, you will have to wait.

All that said, Tuesday night will tell us a lot. So, along with our advice to be patient and (hopefully) serene, here are Tips for Watching the Returns! 

1. States to Watch. Remember, not all states process their ballots with the same speed. But the following states are likely to be pivotal this election: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Arizona.

 

2. Key Times (all Eastern): 7 p.m.: last polls close in Georgia. 7:30 p.m. last polls close in North Carolina. 8 p.m. last polls close in Florida. 9 p.m. last polls close in Arizona.  

 

3. Don’t get caught in a social media trap. Misinformation is running wild, and U.S. authorities say countries like Russia and Iran are already trying to influence the election. Be careful with what you consume. And remember, just because someone says the race is over doesn’t necessarily mean it is.

 

4. Try to Stay Sane. This is an anxious time. Accept uncertainty, limit your screen time and know that democracy can be messy. If there is news, we will accurately report it on Spectrum News.

 

5. Counties to watch. Because numerous mail-in votes likely won’t be tabulated tomorrow, we are concentrating on counties in swing states likelier to have more accurate results this evening or early tomorrow. Here are four counties worth monitoring:

The average resident here is over 65, making it the oldest county in the nation. It’s home to The Villages, the nation’s largest retirement community. President Trump won nearly 70% of the county four years ago against Hillary Clinton as he captured Florida by a little bit more than a percentage point.

But this year, Joe Biden is seen as siphoning seniors away in Florida and elsewhere. So while Trump is still expected to win Sumter, if Biden can narrow his margin, it could spell trouble for the Republican’s chances in the Sunshine State. All that said, Biden has been having difficulty with Latino voters in other parts of Florida, which could boost Trump’s chances.

Florida has long been a complicated state when it comes to politics. 2020 is no different.  

There’s little doubt DeKalb County, in Atlanta’s suburbs, will go for Democrats. The question is the margin – and whether that offsets Trump’s expected victory in more rural parts of the Peach State.

Suburban counties like DeKalb, across the country, are also being closely watched this year for indications that any Republican advantages are evaporating, particularly among women voters. 

A bellwether in a crucial state, Jackson County mirrored North Carolina’s political decisions over the past three elections: Barack Obama in 2008, Mitt Romney in 2012, and Donald Trump in 2020. It’s rural but home to Western Carolina University, where many students have been voting early. 

“Jackson county is a fascinating mix of worlds that, when combined, make for a county whose behavior is difficult to predict, but can tell us about the mood of the state more generally,” Christopher Cooper, a professor and head of the Political Science & Public Affairs department at Western Carolina University, wrote in an email. 

The last time Arizona went Democratic was 1996; the path to Joe Biden’s victory – or Donald Trump’s firewall – may run through Maricopa, which includes Phoenix and nearly two-thirds of the Grand Canyon State’s population.

Trump beat Clinton in the county by a bit less than 3 points, but two years later, Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat, won the county in her successful bid for U.S. Senate – another sign that the state could swing away from the GOP in a presidential election for the first time in nearly a quarter century. 

What’s more, even before Election Day, turnout in the county exceeded the 2016 total. What does it mean? Stay tuned – we may find out this evening.