Election Needles: President  —  If Joe Biden wins one of these three states, he is likely to win the presidency.  —  If President Trump wins all three, it could be days or more before a winner is declared.

USPS disregards court order to conduct ballot sweeps in 12 postal districts after more than 300,000 ballots cannot be traced  —  A federal judge ordered mail service and law enforcement agents to comb processing plants for votes as delays continue  —  The U.S. Postal Service turned …

Kellyanne Conway says Trump may lose ground in Electoral College from 2016  —  The president earlier on Tuesday predicted he would outperform his prior electoral vote count.  —  Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said that President Donald Trump was “feeling great” …

Pennsylvania's Democratic AG sparks outrage from Trump supporters for saying president may have already lost the battleground state before the votes have even been counted  — Josh Shapiro, the state attorney general of Pennsylvania, on Monday night was under fire for tweeting …

Recreational Marijuana Legalized by New Jersey Voters  —  Voters approved a constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis in New Jersey, putting pressure on neighboring states like New York.  —  After years of legislative failures, New Jersey voters on Tuesday authorized the legal use …

Tucker Carlson: Early Hispanic vote in Florida shows election is ‘not what we were told to expect’  —  Fox News host Tucker Carlson condemned pollsters who proclaimed a big polling advantage for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden — especially in Florida, where early numbers look favorable for President Trump.

Fulton election results delayed after pipe bursts in room with ballots  —  Fulton County's absentee-by-mail processing operation at State Farm Arena was delayed at least two hours today after a water pipe burst in a room with ballots.  —  No ballots were harmed thanks to the slant of the room, voting officials said Tuesday night.

Minnesota Election Results: Fifth Congressional District … Candidate Party Votes Pct.  —  Ilhan Omar*  —  Dem.  —  246,343  —  Rep.  —  98,495  —  Ind.  —  36,131  —  Total reported  —  * Incumbent  —  89% of the estimated vote total has been reported.

Republican Tommy Tuberville defeats Sen. Doug Jones in Alabama  —  Republican Tommy Tuberville has defeated incumbent Sen. Doug Jones (D) in Alabama's U.S. Senate race, AP projects.  —  Why it matters: Although expected, the win by Tuberville — a former college football coach …

Democratic Rep. Andy Kim retains his New Jersey seat despite attacks from GOP  —  Democratic Rep. Andy Kim retained his seat in the House after he made history in 2018 by becoming New Jersey's first Asian American representative.  —  The Associated Press called the race around 12:15 a.m. on Wednesday.

These races will tell you who's winning  —  HOW TO NERD OUT TONIGHT — The Nightly asked POLITICO reporters across the country how they will be watching election returns tonight, as we wait to learn whether President Donald Trump will win reelection or Joe Biden defeats him.  Here are their answers:

Madison Cawthorn, 25, to be the youngest sitting congressman after winning election  —  At age 25, Republican Madison Cawthorn is set to be the youngest congressman in recent history after winning a dramatic election for White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows's former seat.

Sarah McBride of Delaware becomes first transgender state senator in U.S. history  —  Sarah McBride, national press secretary at the Human Rights Campaign, has become the first openly transgender state senator in U.S. history after winning a state Senate seat in Delaware on Tuesday night.

A note about this election  —  To find out who wins this year's contests up and down the ballot will require patience.  The pandemic has transformed how this election is being run in many states.  The vast number of ballots cast by mail before Election Day could lengthen the amount of time it takes to count all the votes.

Trump campaign pushes back on projections of Biden winning Arizona's 11 electoral votes  —  Senior Trump campaign officials and Republicans pushed back on projections that Joe Biden had won the state of Arizona, securing 11 electoral votes in a normally red state that Republicans have sought to hold amid a changing political landscape.

Sen. John Cornyn has fended off Democrat MJ Hegar to win reelection in Texas  —  It was the first time the third-term senator had faced a real challenge.  —  SHARE All sharing options  —  Sen. John Cornyn, a three-term Republican, has fended off his first real challenge from newcomer MJ Hegar …