How NPR makes race calls in the 2026 election

Race calls are a critical part of election night and NPR partners with the Associated Press to make those calls. Here's how we do it.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4609x3076+0+0/resize/4609x3076!/quality/85/format/webp/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3f%2F60%2F83fa2c8f439dbd676d0e70e196ba%2Fgettyimages-2302885861.jpg' alt='Voters enter a polling station at Midtown Mall on October 31, 2026 in Anchorage, Alaska.'/><p>Race calls are a critical part of election night and NPR partners with the Associated Press to make those calls. Here's how we do it.</p><p>(Image credit: Justin Sullivan)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=g-s1-151311' />