The quickest way to follow election results on your phone is a news app that uses Associated Press data and lets you turn on election alerts, backed up by your state’s official results website. Set up notifications before the first polls close at 6 p.m. Eastern on November 3, 2026, and choose alerts for race calls in the states you care about rather than every update.
A note on our own app, since you’re on its blog: Election Tracker shows polls, approval and market sentiment in the run-up to Election Day. It doesn’t show live vote counts or race calls, so for election night you’ll want one of the options below.
Where do election night results come from? #
There’s no national vote-counting agency. Counties count ballots and post totals, states compile them, and news organizations collect and verify the numbers.
- Counties count. Poll workers and election offices scan ballots and report totals in batches through the night, and often for days afterward.
- States publish. Secretary of state or election board websites post official unofficial totals, meaning they’re real counts that aren’t yet certified.
- The AP gathers and calls. The Associated Press collects results from every county, checks them, and declares winners when the remaining votes can’t change the outcome. Most news sites and apps display AP data.
- Other decision desks. Some networks and firms, such as Decision Desk HQ, run their own tabulation and calls. Different desks sometimes call the same race minutes or hours apart.
Official certification comes days or weeks later. A race call is a projection by a news organization, not a legal result.
What are the best ways to get results on your phone? #
| Option | What you get | Good for | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| AP News app and apnews.com | AP vote counts and AP race calls | Fast calls in every state | Alerts can be broad; pick topics |
| Network and newspaper apps | AP or in-house data with commentary | Following the national picture | Some features need a subscription |
| Decision Desk HQ | Its own results and calls | A second source of calls | Fewer explanatory features |
| State election websites | Official county-by-county totals | Checking a local or close race | Slower, no race calls, can lag under heavy traffic |
| County election office sites | The earliest local numbers | Your own county | Only one county each |
Using two sources is a good habit: one national news app for calls, and your state’s site for official numbers on races close to home.
How do you set up election alerts on an iPhone? #
Do this on November 2 or the morning of the 3rd:
- Turn on the app’s notifications. Go to Settings, then Notifications, pick the app, and allow notifications.
- Choose election topics inside the app. Most news apps let you follow specific alerts, such as race calls or particular states. Pick a few so you’re not buzzed every few minutes.
- Let the app through your Focus. If you use a Focus mode or Do Not Disturb, add the news app to the allowed list so its alerts still arrive. Some apps mark urgent alerts as Time Sensitive, which you can allow in the Focus settings.
- Try a Live Activity. Some news apps offer an election Live Activity that keeps a running scoreboard on your Lock Screen. Check that Live Activities are allowed in the app’s settings.
- Don’t count on Critical Alerts. Apple reserves Critical Alerts, the ones that sound even when your phone is on silent, for apps approved for health, safety and security uses. News apps generally can’t use them, so a silenced phone won’t wake you for a race call.
Plug your phone in if you’ll be refreshing for hours, and use Wi-Fi when you can.
How do you read early results without getting fooled? #
The first numbers on election night can look very different from the final result, and it’s normal.
The order ballots are counted matters #
Different kinds of ballots are counted at different times, and they often lean differently. In recent elections, Democratic voters have been more likely to vote by mail and Republican voters more likely to vote in person on Election Day.
- In states that can process mail ballots before Election Day, early results often include a big batch of mail votes, and the lead can shrink as Election Day votes come in.
- In states that can’t start processing mail ballots until Election Day, in-person votes can come in first, and mail ballots shift the count later in the night or over the following days. In 2024, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin were in this group. Bills to change that have been proposed repeatedly, so check whether your state’s rule changed.
Neither pattern means something went wrong. Both are well understood before the night starts.
“Too early to call” vs. “too close to call” #
“Too early to call” usually means a candidate looks likely to win but there isn’t enough counted yet to be sure. “Too close to call” means the race is tight and could take days, or a recount. Our explainer on recounts covers when those happen.
Know what’s still out #
The percentage of the “expected vote” counted tells you more than the raw lead. A 5,000-vote lead with 95% counted is very different from the same lead with 60% counted, especially if the uncounted votes come from areas that favor the trailing candidate.
Exit polls aren’t results #
Early exit poll numbers describe who voted and why, and they’re adjusted through the night as real votes come in. Don’t treat an early exit poll margin as a result. See how exit polls work for more.
When will results start coming in on November 3? #
The first polls close at 6 p.m. Eastern in parts of Indiana and Kentucky. A large wave closes at 7, 7:30 and 8 p.m. Eastern, and the last close around midnight Eastern in Hawaii and most of Alaska. News organizations don’t call a state until its polls have closed.
Control of the House might not be settled on election night. In 2022 it took more than a week for enough close races to be called to confirm the majority.
How can you prepare before election night? #
The night makes more sense if you know going in which races are close and where the polls stood. That’s what Election Tracker is for. It groups Senate, governor and generic-ballot polls by race with a 30-day average, shows presidential approval, and has read-only prediction market prices for the races it follows. It also counts down to Election Day and can schedule an optional reminder on your phone that morning. It’s free on iPhone and doesn’t need an account. What it won’t do is show vote counts or race calls, so pair it with a results app on the night.
For a comparison of poll, market and results trackers, and a checklist for judging any of them, see our guide to the best election tracker apps.
Frequently asked questions #
What time do election results start on November 3, 2026? #
Soon after 6 p.m. Eastern, when the first polls close in parts of Indiana and Kentucky. Most of the country’s polls close between 7 and 9 p.m. Eastern, and results in close races can keep coming in for days.
Who calls elections in the US? #
News organizations, not the government. The Associated Press calls races for its members and clients, and several networks and firms run their own decision desks. States make results official later through certification.
Why do different apps show different vote totals? #
They may use different data providers, or one may have picked up a county’s latest update a few minutes before another. The gaps usually disappear as the night goes on.
Can I get alerts even with my phone on silent? #
Not from most news apps. Apple’s Critical Alerts, which bypass silent mode, are limited to approved health, safety and security uses. You can let a news app’s alerts through a Focus mode, but the phone’s ringer settings still apply.
Does Election Tracker show live results? #
No. It covers the run-up to the election: polls grouped by race with averages, presidential approval and prediction market sentiment. For vote counts and race calls, use a news app with AP data or your state’s results site.