We're finally in the home stretch. The polls close at 8 p.m. today and the ballot-tallying will officially begin.
But it will take some time before we know who won key races that determine the balance of power in St. Paul and in Washington, D.C.Â
Here's what you can expect from us here at the Minnesota Star Tribune:
How many journalists does it take to cover an election?
Greg Mees, the news organization's senior assistant managing editor, estimates we'll have about 125 Strib staffers working tonight. Several of them — including your friendly neighborhood newsletter writer — will be in the newsroom watching results roll in and planning coverage based on how those tallies work out.
Of course, those people have to eat. That's why the newsroom has ordered 40 pizzas to feed everyone.
Where do all of these staffers work that night?
A handful of our politics reporters will follow key personalities, including Gov. Tim Walz as he and Vice President Kamala Harris watch results roll in for the presidential contest. Reporter Ryan Faircloth and photographer Renée Jones Schneider will tail the Democratic nominees.
As for the rest of the staff?
“Anyone who is not working in the newsroom is going to a polling place or reporting from an election night party," politics editor Laura McCallum said.
How can I keep up with the results as they come in?
For the first time in Star Tribune history, we'll have a running live blog where readers can keep track of developments throughout the night. If you're wondering how many folks show up to U.S. Rep. Angie Craig's re-election party or where GOP challenger Joe Teirab is watching the results roll in, we'll have you covered.
“That will allow us to get a lot of color from the polls," McCallum said.
Fun fact: I was at Craig's watch party in 2022, where I learned the three-term congresswoman is usually content to sleep through election night and learn the results the next morning.
How do you call races?
The Minnesota Star Tribune does not call races. We usually wait until the Secretary of State's Office has tallied 100% of the vote in a given precinct to determine the winners of local elections. For congressional contests, the news organization relies on the Associated Press to call races — the wire service will livestream its election night operation this year for the first time.
When will we know who controls the state Legislature next year? What about the presidency?
You'll want to settle in for a long night. Every county has its own process for counting ballots and reporting its tallies to the Secretary of State's Office. Some states, like the crucial battlegrounds of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, didn't begin to count their absentee ballots until 7 a.m. today.
“It’s a bit of a waiting game," McCallum said. "Some races are called fairly quickly.”
The AP has historically called Sen. Amy Klobuchar's contests early, for example. That's because Klobuchar typically leads her challengers by such wide margins it's statistically improbable they can catch up.
You can get a more in-depth look at what to expect tonight at the links below.
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