99% reporting

[Padfoot]

What is with all these states that can't get through the final push?  How long does it take to finish up in those last few precincts?

[cp]

The balloting process is a complicated affair; the first results technically aren't 'results' in the strict sense of the term. When votes are counted the first time their total is considered provisional. TV networks broadcast them as results because they want to report things as quickly as possible. Usually the counts are extremely accurate, but sometimes they're not. The reason why the 99% stays for a while is because the 'final' count hasn't been made in places where it may matter, or in places where the returns officer won't give an official result until he's completed everything (even if one candidate obviously has the lead).