Presidential election results 2020

Because of unprecedented levels of mail-in ballots and early voting due to the coronavirus pandemic, it still may take some time until we get results tonight and final results may look different to what early results are showing.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, supporters of Democratic nominee Joe Biden have shown a strong preference for mail-in voting. Most of President Trump's supporters said they wanted to vote on Election Day. States count these different types of votes in very different ways.

As a result, in some of the most competitive states – including Texas — early results may look too rosy for former Vice President Joe Biden, before falling back down to earth and becoming more representative of the true outcome. In other states — particularly Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin — Trump could see early leads that slowly narrow as more ballots are counted.

This won't be a sign of fraud or irregularities. Rather, it's just a reflection of how states count votes. Some states process early ballots first, and will report those early in the night, while others save them for last.

Here is a breakdown of what to watch for in the pivotal states.

Based on CNN's current projections, Biden has 89 electoral college votes, and Trump has 72 electoral college votes.

Reminder: Each candidate needs 270 electoral college votes to win the presidency.

CNN's Dana Bash said the close race in Florida was an early harbinger that tonight would likely not be the landslide Democrats had hoped for. 

"There is no landslide that we are looking at," she said. "No way given the numbers that we've seen particularly when you start the night in Florida when it's as tight as Florida tends to be."

Bash went on to explain that the Biden campaign appears to have underperformed with Latino voters because of the Trump campaign's work to paint Biden as a socialist had been effective. 

"I'll tell you what [the Biden campaign] thinks went wrong is that the Trump attacks have worked," said Bash. "Calling the Democrats socialist worked with people in that area, in particular."

CNN's Abby Phillip concurred, saying turnout among Latino voters will likely be the area of study for Democrats, once the election is settled. 

"What is happening in Florida, I can tell you, Democrats are not happy about it," said Phillip. "At the end of the day, the situation in Miami-Dade is something that in the autopsy of this election they will be looking back at and trying to figure out what went wrong."

CNN's Dana Bash, Abby Phillip and Jake Tapper explain:

On Election Night at the White House, the Trump campaign is running the show inside the White House grounds, even at the President's election night party — further blurring the lines between political activity and official government business. 

Ahead of an expected appearance from President Trump around an election night watch party, the campaign is also setting the guest list – including which journalists can attend.

Rather than inviting the White House press corps, the list was limited to a handful of favored conservative outlets, including Fox News, One America News, Newsmax, Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, JustTheNews.com, and Breitbart. Reporters from Washington Post, Univision, USA Today, and McClatchy were also invited. 

As of 9:30 p.m. ET, those reporters have not yet been told when they will be taken inside and are told to expect to see the President.

Members of CNN’s technical staff were part of a production pool to facilitate video transmission. 

White House spokesperson Judd Deere defended the event, claiming the White House was merely the venue and not the host. "Just like convention it’s a campaign event. White House is the venue,” Deere said. 

The campaign was responsible for that guest list, and not the White House, though the journalists were administered Covid-19 tests by White House doctors. 

Former Trump aide Kellyanne Conway said Tuesday that the President is expected to “address the nation later from the East Room,” which is one of the rooms being used for the event. 

Approximately 400 people were invited to the White House watch party, though only about 200 to 250 are expected to attend the indoor event, which will be held in the East Wing. And over in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, steps away from the West Wing, the campaign has set up a war room with aides monitoring results. CNN reporter earlier that  war room at the White House is being funded by the Trump campaign.

Here's where polls are closing at 10 p.m. ET:

Follow along here and CNN's Election Center for full coverage.

Trump will win South Carolina, CNN projects.

There are nine electoral votes at stake in South Carolina. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the 2020 presidential election.

Who won in 2016: President Trump carried the state and won the general election.

President Trump will win Alabama, CNN projects.

There are nine electoral votes at stake in Alabama. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the 2020 presidential election.

Who won in 2016: President Trump carried the state and won the general election.

As Joe Biden’s lead in North Carolina narrows, CNN’s John King said that North Carolina may be the “most competitive” state. 

Biden’s lead in the state was based on early voting, which skews Democratic, King explained, while President Trump has encouraged his supporters to vote in person. 

Biden is leading in the cities, while Trump is currently getting “shellacked” in the Raleigh-Durham urban area, King said. 

Joe Biden is currently leading President Trump in North Carolina with 80% of the estimated vote in, but in some big Democratic counties, it is mostly early votes, CNN's David Chalian said.

"Of this 80% of the vote that's in, 90% of it right now in North Carolina statewide is early vote," he said.

Chalian added that by the end of the night only 75% of the total North Carolina vote could be early vote.

"So, right now, the early vote is helping Joe Biden, but as more Election Day vote comes in North Carolina, Donald Trump may be able to benefit from that," he said.