EXPLAINER: Why does The Associated Press call US elections?
By MEG KINNARD
Associated Press
Why has The Associated Press tallied votes and declared winners in U.S. elections since the middle of the 19th century? Because the Founding Fathers didn’t establish a national clearinghouse for counting the vote, and the states all do it a little differently. The Federal Election Commission regulates some aspects of federal elections. But the FEC has no oversight over election results, laws or vote counting. So the AP stepped in to fill that void by counting the votes for president in 1848 and declaring Zachary Taylor the winner.
