Projected winner of White House race might not be clear on election night: AP decision desk chief

The winner or projected-winner of the presidential race might not be clear on election night next week as officials in swing states warn that final vote tallies will take time.

The Associated Press top editor overseeing the election night team noted that the availability of the full count varies state-by-state.

"We start with the fact that we're not calling races until we're certain that there is a winner, right? And if that means that we have to wait for all the ballots to be counted and a race to go all the way to certification, we wait. And we have done that, and we still do that in some races that are exceptionally close and that are exceptionally tight," said David Scott during an interview with National Public Radio.

"Most races, however, we're able to look at the data that's come in, the vote counts that have come in and the other data points that we're able to look at and analyze and see that those trailing candidates are far enough behind that there's not a chance for them to overtake the winner. So we're trying to call races as soon as possible but never at the risk of making a mistake and declaring a winner when they've not actually won," he also said.

Rachael Dean Wilson, managing director of Alliance Securing Democracy, said state officials in key battlegrounds are making public statements about the final count to help voters manage expectations heading into Election Day. 

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has said that about 70-75% of the votes would be counted on Tuesday, the day of the election, while the full count will complete by the end of the week. 

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson revealed the a final tally will likely be available by the “end of the day" on Wednesday.