Everyone wants this election to be over, but I'm waiting on the @AP call. Believe me, the journalists at @AP_Politics spend YEARS preparing for this week. If they call a state like AZ it's because the math says so. If they don't call a state like PA it's because the math says so.

I know this because I used to be one of those @AP reporters who worked on national elections. My last election was 2018, and I had to leave behind my work on the Race & Ethnicity beat to be trained in how to call elections, and the math and history behind it.

Every single journalist involved in election calls at @AP in Washington has to go through this training, in addition to the regular reporting he/she does. And there are some people who do NOTHING but think about these elections. (Looking at you, @stephenatap)

And the success rate is pretty damn good. As @AP says, "In 2016, we were 99.8% accurate in calling U.S. races, and 100% accurate in calling the presidential and congressional races for each state." So if they say wait, I'm willing to wait because I've seen the work involved.

That success rate, plus the fact that @AP has been doing this successfully for more than 170 years, makes it worth waiting. If you want more information, go here: https://www.ap.org/en-us/topics/politics/elections/how-we-call-races