Election Night’s Most-Crucial Number Is Votes Yet to Be Counted

Unprecedented mail-in voting means delays in counting ballots
Some states can count ballots early while others have to wait

Baltimore residents line up for early voting on Oct. 26. More than 40 million people have already voted by mail in 2020, according to the U.S. Elections Project. — Baltimore residents line up for early voting on Oct. 26. More than 40 million people have already voted by mail in 2020, according to the U.S. Elections Project.
Photographer: J. Countess/Getty Images

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By Mark Niquette

October 26, 2020 at 1:15 PM EDT

This article is for subscribers only.

This election night, there’s a new statistic that may be the most important number for people trying to figure out whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden won the presidency.

Election officials in key battleground states and at the Associated Press are adopting a new measure aimed at estimating how much of the vote has yet to be counted.