The Associated Press has been tallying results in national, state and local elections since 1848. In broad terms, the process is the same today as it was then: Vote count reporters collect election results at a local level as soon as polls close, then submit those results for the AP to collate, verify and report.

This year, AP will count the votes in about 5,000 contested races around the United States, from the presidency and Congress to state legislatures and ballot measures.

COMPLETE ELECTION COVERAGE:

• ‘Souls To The Polls’: Harris Highlights Her Faith In Bid To Connect With Voters

• Why The Amish Could Decide This Year’s Presidential Race

• How 40 Protestant Denominations Voted In The Last 4 Presidential Elections

• New Polls Offer Conflicting Clues On Key Catholic Voters

• VP Pick Walz A Lutheran With Connections To Minnesota’s Muslim Community

• How JD Vance’s Catholic Faith Influenced His Politics

• ‘The After Party’ Offers Christians An Escape From Divisive Politics

• ‘Overhyped’ Christian Nationalism Label Draws Political Backlash

• How Will Various Faith Groups Vote?

The U.S. doesn’t have a nationwide body that collects and releases election results. Elections are administered locally, by thousands of offices, following standards set by the states. In many cases, the states themselves don’t even offer up-to-date tracking of election results.

The AP plays a role in collecting and standardizing the results. The AP’s vote count fills a gap by bringing together information that otherwise might not be available online for days or weeks after an election or is scattered across hundreds of local websites.

Without national standards or consistent expectations across states, it also ensures the data is in a standard format, uses standard terms and undergoes rigorous quality control.