The Deseret News' plan for election night coverage – Deseret News

Polls will close Tuesday after Americans decide who they want to represent them in local, state and federal offices. The Deseret News will keep readers updated on what's happening with the close presidential race, control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, and the Utah election.

In Utah, polls close at 8 p.m.

This year's coverage from the Deseret News includes on-the-ground reporting, live blogging and interactive maps with updated results, while The Associated Press calls races across the country. Deseret News Editor-in-Chief Doug Wilks and Deseret News Editor-in-Chief Sarah Weaver, along with other senior editors, will decide when the Deseret News publishes articles stating that elections have been called in these races.

The homepage features key stories about national and statewide election results, but there are also several other interactive pages you can visit to dive deeper.

National election coverage

On election night, the Deseret News' online homepage will display a bar at the top of the page indicating how many votes the Electoral College blocked from former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris as states called for either candidate are.

Our presidential election reporter Samuel Benson will be at Howard University in Washington, DC, where the Harris campaign is holding its election night party. Deseret News reporter Dennis Romboy will be in Florida, where the Trump campaign is holding its party at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.

Benson and Romboy will report on the mood of each campaign party throughout the night.

On a page dedicated to national election results, you see three maps: a map for the U.S. presidential election and a map each for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.

The US presidential election map is updated according to each state. When you hover over a state, you can see information such as the number of votes counted and the overall percentage. A bar showing the Electoral College votes will also appear above this map.

The U.S. Senate and U.S. House maps will be similar, showing which direction the results are heading in the states. Each of these maps also has a bar showing real-time results for Senate and House races.

Reporters in the Deseret News offices will be live blogging about the presidential election as well as stories about the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. Once the polls close on the East Coast, you'll be able to see breaking news about national elections – with a focus on swing states that could very well decide who the next president is.

Check out the national election results page for additional articles written by Deseret News reporters throughout the evening.

Utah election coverage

If you are looking for the latest election results in Utah, the Deseret News also has a page dedicated to these election results.

This page displays gubernatorial and Senate election results, as well as a tracker that also shows you the state's Senate and House of Representatives races. A drop-down box will appear where you can select your district and see the results.

The Deseret News will report separately on many of the races you see on this dedicated page and on the home page. Reporters Brigham Tomco, Hanna Seariac and Lisa Riley Roche will be on hand at campaign parties for federal and state candidates. There will also be coverage of the state's school board elections as well as reaction to the presidential election results from the Utah Republican Party and the Utah Democratic Party.

Photojournalists will capture key moments from Election Day in Utah.

What does it mean to call elections?

There's a whole team of people at the Associated Press who analyze election results to determine which candidate will win an election. This is what is meant by the expression “calling an election.”

If the final candidate has no path to victory, The Associated Press calls a race.

That means readers likely know the results of several races on election night. However, other races, including potentially the presidential election, may take a little longer to be called.

Find Deseret News political coverage here.