EXPLAINER: States still in play and what makes them that way

REPORTING FROM WILMINGTON, I AM SALLY KIDD. CAROL: BEING COUNTED. -- CAROL: AGAIN, THOUSANDS OF VOTES STILL BEING COUNTED. WE’RE BREAKING DOWN THE KEY RACES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS ON THE PATH TO 270. WYFF NEWS 4’S RENEE WUNDERLICH SPOKE WITH A POLITICAL SCIENCE EXPERT SHE IS LIVE IN GREENVILLE TONIGHT. RENEE? RENEE: WELL, THE POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR I SPOKE WITH TODAY SAYS REGARDLESS OF POLITICS, FAITH IN THE SYSTEM IS KE NOW, HE TELLS ME, NO, IT’S NOT TYPICAL TO WAIT THIS LONG, FOR THIS MANY STATES, BUT HE ALSO SAYS THIS IS NOT REALLY A TYPICAL YEAR OR ELECTION SEASON. >> WELL I THINK WE’RE STILL KIND , OF THE EPICENTER OF THIS POLITICAL MOMENT. RENEE: POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR BRENT NELSEN TEACHES AT FURMAN UNIVERSITY IN SOUTH CAROLINA STATE STUCK BETWEEN , A NORTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA, TWO AREAS STILL COUNTING BALLOTS AFTER ELECTION DAY. NATIONAL ATTENTION HAS BEEN ON ARIZONA, NEVADA, PENNSYLVANIA, AND GEORGIA. GEORGIA COULD EASILY BE A PIVOTAL STATE FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP OR JOE BIDEN. >> I THINK NORTH CAROLINA IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT LARGELY BECAUSE THEY ARE EXTENDING THIS PERIOD A LONG TIME, BUT THERE IS A SLIGHTLY LARGER MARGIN THERE, SO IT’S REALLY GEORGIA THAT EVERYBODY’S FOCUSED ON RIGHT NOW IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA. RENEE: THIS YEAR BROUGHT CHANGES, LARGE-SCALE ABSENTEE AND EARLY VOTING DUE TO A PANDEMIC. BUT ONE THING THAT HASN’T CHANGED? NELSEN SAYS HE SEES A THEME FROM 2016 THAT CONCERNS HIM. >> WE ARE STILL DEEPLY DIVIDED. WE SEE THE WORLD DIFFERENTLY THROUGH THOSE PARTISAN LENSE AND THAT IS WHAT WORRIES ME, IS WHEN YOU DETERMINE WHAT THE FACTS ARE GOING TO BE BASED ON YOUR POLITICAL LOYALTY, RATHER THAN FIGURING OUT WHAT THE FACTS ARE, AND THEN FIGURING OUT WHAT DIRECTION TO TAK RENEE: AND TONIGHT, GEORGIA IS STILL COUNTING BALLOTS. NORTH CAROLINA WILL ACCEPT BALLOTS UP UNTIL NOVEMBER 12, AS LONG AS THEY WERE POSTMARKED BY ELECTION DAY. LIVE IN GREENVILLE TONIG

The Associated Press declared Democrat Joe Biden the winner of his native Pennsylvania on Saturday, and by extension of the tightly contested U.S. presidential race against President Donald Trump. The outcome of contests in Georgia and North Carolina remained in play.The solidly Republican state of Alaska has also not been called because it is only 50% counted and will not release absentee numbers until Nov. 10.The Associated Press reviews the status of the last remaining states still in play.Editor’s note: The Associated Press has declared a winner in Arizona, however several other outlets have not yet. The race in Arizona is tightening, as more results are released. The AP continues to watch and analyze vote count results from Arizona as they come in, said Sally Buzbee, AP executive editor.PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vZWxlY3Rpb25zLmFwLm9yZy93aWRnZXRzL2pzL3Jlc2l6ZXIuY2xpZW50Lm1pbi5qcyIgdHlwZT0idGV4dC9qYXZhc2NyaXB0Ij48L3NjcmlwdD48aWZyYW1lIGlkPSJpZnJhbWVfZTU2YzI3MDg3N2RjYmM1ZjQxMjc4YmI2NTBlMzc5N2QiIHN0eWxlPSJvdmVyZmxvdzogaGlkZGVuOyBtaW4td2lkdGg6IDEwMCU7IGJvcmRlcjogbm9uZTsiIHNyYz0iaHR0cHM6Ly9lbGVjdGlvbnMuYXAub3JnL3dpZGdldHMvY29udGVudC9lNTZjMjcwODc3ZGNiYzVmNDEyNzhiYjY1MGUzNzk3ZCIgd2lkdGg9IjEwMCUiIGhlaWdodD0iMTAwJSIgZnJhbWVib3JkZXI9IjEiIGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbj0iYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuIiBvbmxvYWQ9ImlGcmFtZVJlc2l6ZSh7fSwgJyNpZnJhbWVfZTU2YzI3MDg3N2RjYmM1ZjQxMjc4YmI2NTBlMzc5N2QnKTsiPjwvaWZyYW1lPg==___GEORGIA: Outstanding ballots left to be counted and a razor-thin margin.THE BACKGROUND: A razor-thin margin and ongoing vote count are what’s making the Georgia contest between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden too early to call.While 99% percent of the estimated vote has been counted, there are still ballots to be tabulated across the state, including those from counties that Biden carried.Biden inched past the incumbent in the tally Friday, and by Monday morning was leading by 10,353 votes of nearly 5 million ballots cast — a lead of about 0.2 percentage points. Under Georgia state law, a candidate can request a recount if the margin is within 0.5 percentage points.The AP does not declare a winner of an election that will be — or is likely to become — subject to a mandatory recount. In instances where a recount isn't required by law but a candidate requests one, AP will not call a race if the margin between the top two candidates is 0.5 percentage points or less.Electoral research conducted by the AP found there have been at least 31 statewide recounts since 2000. Three of those changed the outcome of the election. The initial margins in those races were 137 votes, 215 votes and 261 votes.Among all 31 recounts, the largest shift in results was 0.1%, in the 2006 race for Vermont’s Auditor of Accounts. This was a low turnout election in which the initial results had one candidate winning by 137 votes. The candidate eventually lost by 102 votes, for a swing of 239 votes.The average shift in the margin between the top two candidates was 0.019 percentage points.___NORTH CAROLINA: Race too early to call. Ballots left to count.THE BACKGROUND: Trump prematurely claimed early Wednesday that he won the state.“We’ve clearly won North Carolina, where we’re up 1.7%, 77,000 votes with only approximately 5% left. They can’t catch us,” he said during an appearance at the White House. Trump also said he planned to contest the U.S. presidential election before the Supreme Court. It was unclear, exactly, what legal action he might pursue.Since then Trump's lead has been shaved down 1.38 percentage points, or 75,371 votes, as of Monday morning and the race is too early to call with up to tens of thousands of mail ballots and provisional ballots left to count statewide.As long as those ballots are postmarked by Nov. 3, state election officials have until Nov. 12 to count them.

The solidly Republican state of Alaska has also not been called because it is only 50% counted and will not release absentee numbers until Nov. 10.

The Associated Press reviews the status of the last remaining states still in play.

Editor’s note: The Associated Press has declared a winner in Arizona, however several other outlets have not yet. The race in Arizona is tightening, as more results are released. The AP continues to watch and analyze vote count results from Arizona as they come in, said Sally Buzbee, AP executive editor.

___

GEORGIA: Outstanding ballots left to be counted and a razor-thin margin.

THE BACKGROUND: A razor-thin margin and ongoing vote count are what’s making the Georgia contest between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden too early to call.

While 99% percent of the estimated vote has been counted, there are still ballots to be tabulated across the state, including those from counties that Biden carried.

Biden inched past the incumbent in the tally Friday, and by Monday morning was leading by 10,353 votes of nearly 5 million ballots cast — a lead of about 0.2 percentage points. Under Georgia state law, a candidate can request a recount if the margin is within 0.5 percentage points.

The AP does not declare a winner of an election that will be — or is likely to become — subject to a mandatory recount. In instances where a recount isn't required by law but a candidate requests one, AP will not call a race if the margin between the top two candidates is 0.5 percentage points or less.

Electoral research conducted by the AP found there have been at least 31 statewide recounts since 2000. Three of those changed the outcome of the election. The initial margins in those races were 137 votes, 215 votes and 261 votes.

Among all 31 recounts, the largest shift in results was 0.1%, in the 2006 race for Vermont’s Auditor of Accounts. This was a low turnout election in which the initial results had one candidate winning by 137 votes. The candidate eventually lost by 102 votes, for a swing of 239 votes.

The average shift in the margin between the top two candidates was 0.019 percentage points.

___

NORTH CAROLINA: Race too early to call. Ballots left to count.

THE BACKGROUND: Trump prematurely claimed early Wednesday that he won the state.

“We’ve clearly won North Carolina, where we’re up 1.7%, 77,000 votes with only approximately 5% left. They can’t catch us,” he said during an appearance at the White House. Trump also said he planned to contest the U.S. presidential election before the Supreme Court. It was unclear, exactly, what legal action he might pursue.

Since then Trump's lead has been shaved down 1.38 percentage points, or 75,371 votes, as of Monday morning and the race is too early to call with up to tens of thousands of mail ballots and provisional ballots left to count statewide.

As long as those ballots are postmarked by Nov. 3, state election officials have until Nov. 12 to count them.