CNN has not yet projected a winner in the presidential race. Here's why.
A Gwinnett County election worker looks over absentee and provisional ballots at the Gwinnett Voter Registrations and Elections office on November 6, in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Jessica McGowan/Getty Images
It's four days after Election Day, and CNN has not yet projected who will win.
Here's how CNN projections work: There's a team of dedicated statistical analysts that helps decide when CNN can make a call on election results, CNN's political director David Chalian explains.
"All they do is, every single time vote comes in from one of these states, they plug it into their models and their formulas, trying to ascertain a very high level of confidence," in the results so that whoever is the number two person in these contests doesn't have a real possibility to overtake the number one person, Chalian said.
The reason why CNN is not projecting the results in states like Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona, "it's because of the math and getting to the highest level of confidence before any projection is made," Chalian added.
CNN's David Chalian explains how the network projects who will win the presidency:
6:27 a.m. ET, November 7, 2020
You might hear about provisional ballots today. Here's what you need to know about them.
From CNN's Paul LeBlanc
A canvas observer photographs Lehigh County provisional ballots as vote counting in the general election continues on Friday, November 6, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Mary Altaffer/AP
As election officials whittle down the piles of ballots cast in the 2020 election, they are turning their attention to the outliers — including damaged ballots, military ballots and a category of ballots that are called "provisional."
Provisional ballots are cast when there's a question about a voter's eligibility, and are specially held for counting until officials are certain the vote should be accepted. If a voter, for example, forgets their ID at home, or isn't showing up in the voter rolls, they can cast a provisional ballot.
Under federal law, any US resident should always be able to cast a provisional ballot at a polling place, even if their registration status is not clear. That allows officials to accept the ballot but hold it aside while any questions are worked out.
Once cast, election officials determine whether the voter was eligible to vote. If they were, the vote will be counted just like any other.
Why these ballots take longer to count: Different states handle provisional ballots in different ways.
Generally, though, these ballots are kept separate from all other ballots while they are investigated by election officials and are counted last.
"This process entails verifying the voter's identity and eligibility to vote, and may require the voter to provide further information. If the identity of the voter and the voter's eligibility can be established through reviewing the voter rolls or verifying a signature, all or a portion of the ballot will be counted. If their eligibility cannot be established, the ballot will not be counted."
As a result, voters often need to be their own biggest advocate when it comes to provisional ballots — following up with local elected officials to confirm they have looked into their qualifications and have counted their vote.
These are the states that CNN has projected in the presidential race
Ballots are still being counted in several key states that will determined the outcome of the presidential race.
Joe Biden currently leads President Trump by 253 to 213 electoral votes, CNN projects. Biden and Trump each need 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.
CNN has not projected a winner in six states: Arizona, Alaska, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
CNN has projected a winner in these states:
Biden will win at least three of Maine's four electoral votes, plus Wisconsin, Michigan, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Virginia, California, Oregon, Washington state, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Delaware, Washington, DC, Maryland, Massachusetts and one of Nebraska's five electoral votes. Nebraska and Maine award two electoral votes to their statewide winners and divide their other electoral votes by congressional districts.
Trump will win Montana, Texas, Iowa, Idaho, Ohio, Mississippi, Wyoming, Missouri, Kansas, Utah, Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Arkansas, Indiana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia, Florida and Tennessee and four of Nebraska's five electoral votes.
6:16 a.m. ET, November 7, 2020
Biden's lead is growing in key states. Here's what we know.
Biden currently leads President Trump by 253 to 213 electoral votes, CNN projects.
If you're just reading in, here's where things stand:
Biden closes in: The former vice president is stretching his leads in Pennsylvania, Nevada and Georgia. Each state remains too close to call. The count will be complicated in Pennsylvania by tens of thousands of provisional ballots and many others that require extra care for reasons that include damage, legibility, signature issues or other defects.
The paths to 270: The President cannot reach 270 electoral votes without winning both Pennsylvania and Georgia, and at least one of the other outstanding states. Biden can get over the top by winning Pennsylvania on its own or by taking both Nevada and Arizona. If Biden holds leads in Arizona and Nevada, he will get to 270 electoral votes and become the next President, regardless of what happens in Pennsylvania and Georgia.
Trump refuses to back down: As the drama unfolded across the country, the President's allies launched legal challenges and floated conspiracy theories while Trump tweeted "Stop the Count!" On Thursday night, Trump effectively sent a signal that he has no intention of leaving power without a fight if he ends up losing the election.
Biden makes appeal for unity in remarks: Biden would not declare victory when he spoke to the nation late Friday night, but said he was confident. He added, "We are going to win this race with a clear majority of the nation behind us."
And here's a look at where the numbers stand this morning:
CNN's John Berman breaks down latest numbers:
5:56 a.m. ET, November 7, 2020
To see more live election coverage from overnight, go here.
