Here is how CNN’s Sightline real-time election insights tool works

CNN has built a new election-night feature called Sightline, which turns incoming vote totals into a running judgment of which candidate is ahead in a given contest. It draws on the network's Decision Desk analysts, and the aim is to help viewers make sense of raw numbers as polls close and counting begins. For this cycle, it will operate in roughly 25 major Senate and governor races, including those that will determine control of the Senate and leadership of important states.

The tool rests on the same questions analysts pose when judging a race: where ballots originated, how they compare with earlier elections and pre-election expectations, how much statistical confidence exists, whether they were cast on Election Day, by mail or early in person, and how many remain uncounted. Models and assessments answering each question feed into a single rating showing whether a contest leans toward one candidate or the other. That rating rests on signals from five key areas.

The weighting of those areas shifts during the evening.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN →