The results at the beginning and at the end of the night will be skewed in some places.
The order in which different types of votes are reported could also make one party look stronger at various points in the night. Democrats are more likely to vote by mail this year, so in states where those will be the first type of ballots released, like Arizona, Florida and North Carolina, initial results could skew in favor of Joseph R. Biden Jr. Places that report in-person Election Day votes first, like most parts of Virginia, will probably look better for President Trump.
But the initial skew in a state’s results may last only a short while, and it will be influenced by which counties or precincts in the state are the fastest to report, said Charles Stewart III, an elections expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
To be a sophisticated consumer of the returns, Mr. Stewart said, pay attention to key counties once they have reported most of their results. “Whether that county is more Trump-y or less Trump-y than 2016 is going to be very informative of the way the election is going,” he said.
After election night, there could also be misleadingly positive results for Mr. Trump in certain states, with mail ballots trickling in over the following days favoring Mr. Biden.
Below, what we know about the timing of results in each state. We will update this table as states release more information.
(A Few relevant states)
Arizona Lean D
Officials are not predicting the share of ballots that will be reported by Wednesday. A new law allows officials to count mail votes starting two weeks before the election, so the first votes, typically reported at 10 p.m. Eastern, are likely to be relatively stronger for Mr. Biden.
Florida Tossup
All early voting and previously tabulated mail ballots, which are likely to be relatively stronger for Mr. Biden, should be reported by 8:30 p.m. Eastern. Officials did not make a projection for the timing of full unofficial results, but they were allowed to process early-arriving mail ballots starting weeks before the election.
Georgia Tossup
Officials did not provide an estimate but said that because of the large volume of mail ballots expected, it could take a couple of days for all of them to be scanned and counted. The secretary of state has said he expects the winners of most races to be announced by Nov. 4.
Iowa Tossup
Officials said they are confident they will have unofficial results "in a timely fashion like we do for every election." Mail ballots accepted until the 9th.
Maine Likely D* Solid D (1st Dist.), Tossup (2nd Dist.)
Officials are not expecting delays processing mail ballots unless most absentee voters wait until Election Day to return them.
Michigan Lean D
Officials have said that full unofficial results could take until Nov. 6. Processing of ballots does not begin until Election Day, or the day before the election in some jurisdictions. If there are a significant number of mail ballots outstanding at the end of election night, the reported totals could be relatively stronger for Mr. Trump.
Minnesota Lean D
Officials expect to count and report close to 100 percent of votes cast on or before Election Day by noon Wednesday. Outstanding mail ballots will be reported on the secretary of state's website. Lawsuit to determine if ballots will be accepted until the 10th.
Nevada Lean D
Officials said they did not know what share of votes would be reported by noon Wednesday. Ballots were mailed to all active registered voters. Accepts ballots until the 10th. (Tossup sate but mail only favors Biden)
North Carolina Tossup
Early votes and processed mail ballots, which are likely to be relatively stronger for Mr. Biden, will be reported around 7:30 p.m. Election day results, which are likely to be relatively stronger for Mr. Trump, will be reported between 8:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. Officials estimate that upward of 98 percent of ballots cast will be reported on election night.
Ohio Tossup
Ballots cast before Election Day will be reported by 8 p.m., and they are likely to be relatively stronger for Mr. Biden. They will be followed by those cast in-person or arriving on Election Day. After election night, no more results will be released until final certification, which must be completed by Nov. 28. No predictions were provided for the share of results reported by Wednesday
Pennsylvania Lean D
Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar has said that she expects “the overwhelming majority” of votes will be counted by Friday, Nov. 6. Officials cannot begin to process mail ballots until Election Day, and if there are a significant number of mail ballots outstanding at the end of the night, the reported totals could be relatively stronger for Mr. Trump.
Texas Tossup
No estimate was provided for the share that will be reported by Wednesday. Because an excuse is required to vote by mail in Texas, officials do not think that processing those votes will result in delays, though increased turnout could.
Wisconsin Lean D
Gov. Tony Evers has said he expects to know the results on election night, or by the day after at the latest. The elections director in Milwaukee County, which officials say has the potential to be the latest to report, said that results could take until between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Poster Comment:
Go to the url to get the rest of the states. The NY Times has listed a lot of Trump states as lean Dem or tossup. BS. Nevada could be stolen because it is 100% mail ballots. We should know who won by Wednesday afternoon.