Election Day is here, and so is a wave of claims about voting. PolitiFact is running a live fact-check throughout Tuesday, Nov. 3, and PBS News is carrying it. The team is checking claims about competitive midterm races, online misinformation, lawsuits and allegations of fraud. Coverage started at 7 a.m. Eastern, 6 a.m. Central.
The live blog will update through the day and night. Here are a few things to keep in mind while following the results.
Slow counts are normal. PolitiFact has reported that it may take time to know the winners in close races, and that this is normal. States count ballots differently. Some count mail and early ballots first, and others count Election Day votes first. That can cause big swings in early results that do not mean anything is wrong.
Early leads can flip. In some states, the first results are mostly early and mail ballots. Those have tended to favor Democrats since 2020, while Election Day votes have leaned Republican. A candidate who leads early can fall behind later, or the other way around.
Claims of victory are not calls. News organizations, including NPR and PBS, use Associated Press race calls. The AP does not call a race just because a candidate declares victory or concedes.
Check before you share. Viral posts about polling place problems, broken machines or fraud often spread faster than the facts. Check with your local election office or a trusted news source before sharing.
Tennessee voters with questions about their polling place or hours can contact their county election commission.
Sources: PolitiFact, PBS News, Associated Press