What is Decision Desk HQ, the service that helps news organizations make decisions?

Polls may close on the night of Nov. 5, but it can take days, weeks and sometimes even months for the results of an election to be officially certified — especially in a high-stakes presidential campaign.

The wait can be frustrating and nerve-wracking as election officials investigate and the public tries to cope with false information or preemptive claims of victory.

Media and election officials are working to provide the public with accurate information after Election Day. And to provide the public with timely forecasts or results, media outlets often work with data aggregators to call elections.

The three most popular race callers used by various media outlets include The Associated Press, Edison Research/The National Election Pool and Decision Desk HQ.

Each race caller uses different methods and standards for how and when they decide to call a race based on unofficial or certified results. Individual media companies select companies they want to work with.

Scripps News partners with Decision Desk HQ to project election results.

What is Decision Desk HQ?

Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) was founded in 2012 as an independent provider of election results, polls and data. It was the first to declare the presidency for former President Donald Trump in 2016 and for President Joe Biden in 2020. In 2022, DDHQ says it predicted the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives and gubernatorial elections with 100% accuracy, exceeding The Associated Press election calls 71% of the time.

How does DDHQ work?

DDHQ uses technologies like data scraping and real people on the ground at polling places to call races. During major elections such as the presidential election, DDHQ is strategic in selecting the states and localities to which employees are deployed. The election results will be made available to the media for publication on television and on their websites.

“In addition to election night results, we also collect and curate absentee and early voting lists, FEC data, and survey data,” DDHQ says.

What else does DDHQ do?

DDHQ goes beyond providing data on election results. The company can also provide media outlets with pre-election and election polls as well as historical election data. DDHQ's election models can be modified with variables to give the public a better understanding of how elections can turn out.