Here's What to Expect from Election Night Coverage on All the Major Networks
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Michael Greenberg/CBS News
Tuesday's midterm elections will be the first the first to pull the attention of the nation since 2020's general election, which took place amid a global pandemic and sent America down a path of heightened polarization as the president himself began disputing the results.
This year's elections will, among other things, determine which political party controls the House and Senate — and who shapes policies surrounding reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ expression, education and economy at the local, state and federal levels.
Needless to say, all eyes will be on the results — and on the networks and news anchors covering them.
RELATED: PEOPLE's Complete Guide to the 2022 Midterms: Everything to Know Before Election Night
"Elections have definitely become more of a marathon than a sprint," CNN anchor and senior political correspondent Abby Phillip tells PEOPLE.
Fox News host Martha MacCallum, who will co-anchor the channel's coverage this year, concurs, saying election night "is like the Super Bowl and Christmas Day for us, so while it's a demanding time, it's what we look forward to in the 'off' years."
Here's how the major channels, from CNN to Fox News, plan to carry Americans through Tuesday night.
RELATED: 2022 Midterms: Every Senate, House and State Race Americans Should Follow
Michael Greenberg/CBS News
CBS News
CBS News and Stations will deliver comprehensive election coverage beginning at 7:00 AM, ET on the CBS Television Network and the CBS News Streaming Network's national and 13 local channels. The network's election night coverage will be anchored from Times Square by Norah O'Donnell, Gayle King, John Dickerson and Margaret Brennan, with dozens of other contributors sharing their expertise in the studio and on the ground.
Mere feet from the anchor table will be the CBS News Democracy Desk, which will examine ongoing threats to American democracy and detail states' efforts to make the vote counting process more transparent — as well as a closer look at election deniers and the fallout from the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
"I think that the enthusiasm and the very solemn, important challenge that we all face is just making sure that we can really make a difference," says Mary Hager, executive producer of Face the Nation and executive editor of CBS News' election broadcast. "With our coverage on election night, we want viewers to really feel that they've learned something."
ABC/Jeff Neira Linsey Davis
ABC News
ABC News' Election Day coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. ET on ABC News Live, with full network coverage beginning at 8:00 p.m. on ABC. World News Tonight anchor David Muir will lead coverage from New York, and be joined by ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis, chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl, chief White House correspondent Cecilia Vega, chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz, senior White House correspondent Mary Bruce, Nightline co-anchor Byron Pitts, and contributors María Elena Salinas, Chris Christie, Donna Brazile, Heidi Heitkamp, Yvette Simpson and Sarah Isgur.
The network will have correspondents in 13 locations around the U.S. to bring on-the-ground coverage to the news desk.
"For months, I've been bouncing from one battleground state to another. In the final stretch, I've been poring over the notes I took from out on the campaign trail," congressional correspondent Rachel Scott tells PEOPLE. "I've been on a listening tour — hearing from voters all across this nation from Caliente, Nevada to Wadley, Georgia — their voices will be pivotal in one of the most consequential midterms in decades."
Evan Vucci/AP/Shutterstock Savannah Guthrie at the NBC News town hall with President Donald Trump on Thursday
NBC News
NBCUniversal News Group will deliver full special coverage and analysis of the midterm elections with Decision 2022 across NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC News NOW, Noticias Telemundo and Peacock. More than 40 correspondents have been dispatched across the U.S., in key battleground states, to contribute to the coverage.
Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell will lead NBC News' primetime coverage starting at 8 p.m. ET.
NBC News NOW's Decision 2022 coverage kicks off at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 8, with special coverage hosted by senior Washington correspondent Hallie Jackson and senior national correspondent Tom Llamas.
MSNBC's coverage will begin at 6 pm. ET, and be lead by Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace and Joy Reid. CNBC will kick off its coverage with Shep Smith at 7 p.m. ET, while Noticias Telemundo's coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET, anchord by Julio Vaqueiro and Arantxa Loizaga.
RELATED: Why NBC News' Tom Llamas Is Focusing on Latino Voters Ahead of the Midterms
CNN Abby Phillip
CNN
CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper will kick off the network's coverage live from CNN's Election Centers in Washington, D.C., and New York City, beginning at 4 p.m. ET. They will be joined by CNN chief political correspondent and anchor Dana Bash, who will be leading analysis along with CNN Anchors Phillip and Chris Wallace.
Also on hand will be CNN's chief national affairs analyst Kasie Hunt, who will be tracking the Senate races, and CNN anchor Boris Sanchez, who will be covering the gubernatorial races around the country. As is something of a tradition for the network, CNN anchor and chief national correspondent John King will provide viewers with up-to-the-minute election analysis via the "CNN Magic Wall."
As anchor Phillip explains, the network's job on election night is to "help the country make sense of" the minutiae of the process.
"Every election is the most important facing the country, and this one is no different," she says. "On Nov. 8, voters will decide which political philosophy will rule the day at a critical time for the U.S. economy, global peace and security and of course the future of our democracy. And with so many politicians pushing election lies at the state and national level, that will be a major storyline for us to follow as well."
Fox News Media
FOX News Channel
FOX News Channel will present its live coverage of the 2022 midterms beginning at 6 p.m. ET. Co-anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, Democracy 2022: Election Night will provide viewers with the latest calls on House, Senate and gubernatorial races, as well as projections on the balance of power in both the Senate and the House via the FOX News Decision Desk.
This year, the network will offer a new component to its election coverage, via a live studio audience on set, which will answer questions from anchor Harris Faulkner and react as the results come in throughout the night.
For the team at FOX, the night is unlike any other, says Baier, the chief political anchor. "The hardest part is juggling the calls when they start coming at a fast rate [and] producers are in our ear with where we are headed next. It's our Super Bowl." It will, of course, entail "a lot of caffeine," he adds.
"We are preparing all year for election night covering all of these races," he says. "The last three elections we have been on set for six-plus hours. We'll see what Tuesday brings."
RELATED: Fox Reporter Hillary Vaughn Covers Election Night While Pregnant: 'What Unites Us Is Love'
C-SPAN
Live coverage of election night results will begin at 8 p.m. ET on C-SPAN, C-SPAN Radio, C-SPAN.org and the C-SPAN Now app.
Coverage will be hosted by Greta Brawner and Peter Slen. Kirk Bado, managing editor of The Hotline, and Jessica Taylor, Senate and governors editor with The Cook Political Report, will join the coverage to discuss various U.S. House and Senate races driving the battle to control Congress.
Also included in the coverage will be viewer calls taken throughout the night, in which voters will answer the question: "Who did you vote for and why?"
