These organizations, including The New York Times, weigh a range of data before states and races are called for a candidate. That includes poll data in races that are not very competitive, which is why races can be called so early. In closer races, the data includes a detailed analysis of the votes counted and remaining.

Each organization may use a different threshold for making projections. The Associated Press, for example, may decide not to call a winner if the margin between the top two candidates is less than 0.5 of a percentage point. Decision makers at NBC News will not project races unless they are at least 99.5 percent confident of the winner.