Setting the Expectations for Election Night

CNN: “Likely shift from red to blue: Some people call this the ‘red mirage or the ‘blue shift,’ where early results favor Trump but later ballots even things out and might even put Biden ahead once all the results are tallied.”

“This dynamic is expected in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where they don’t process absentee ballots before Election Day. Early waves of results will likely come from ballots cast on Election Day and from outside the state’s population centers, which are expected to favor Trump…”

“Likely shift from blue to red: Some people call this the ‘blue mirage’ or the ‘red shift.’ This is when the first waves of results disproportionately favor Biden, only to be followed by more Trump-friendly ballots later on. This is most likely to occur in the states that start processing mail-ballots weeks before Election Day.”

“The most critical states where experts believe this will happen are Florida and North Carolina. Election officials in these states say the first results to become public after the polls close will be large batches of absentee ballots and in-person early votes, which have been quite favorable to Democrats. As the night drags on, Election Day ballots will trickle in, helping Trump’s margins.”