Big Board Key download the key pdf »

• The rows are set up as follows
• Gray row with time stamp: Poll closing time
• Yellow percentage: Precincts reporting
• Yellow box with time: When a winner was projected
• State/district
• Blue candidate: Democratic candidate
• Green candidate: Other party candidate
• Red candidate: Republican candidate
• Blue/green/red number: Percentage of vote received by candidate with corresponding color

• Additional markers
• Candidate in all caps: Incumbent candidate
• Blue/green/red highlighted box: Projected winner
• White-highlighted state and white-outlined candidate: Seat has switched parties
• Number in parentheses, following state (President board only): Number of total electoral votes the state has

Examples

Each sample row below is followed by a paragraph of how that row might be read based on the visual markers included.

Forty-five percent of precincts are reporting in Delaware, where Thomas Carper, the Democratic incumbent, currently has 47 percent of the vote. Kevin Wade, the Republican challenger, has 38 percent of the vote.

At 11:11 p.m., NPR projects that Republican Candidate B will win in California’s 27th Congressional District. The House seat was formerly held by the Democrats. Candidate B has received 55 percent of the vote, while Candidate A has gotten 45 percent.

At 5:20 p.m., California was called for the Democratic presidential candidate. The Democrat received 52 percent of the vote in California, while the Republican received 48 percent. California has 55 electoral votes.