In the past, early voting has created a so-called red mirage or blue shift on election night. Here’s why things might be different in the 2024 election. Election night has a language all its own, as terms like “dangling chads” and “purple state” don’t tend to come up too often in odd-numbered years.

It’s been called the “red mirage” or the “blue shift.” It’s the recent phenomenon by which an apparent Republican lead early after polls close on election night is erased by the counting of mail-in ballots later in the evening or in the days after Election Day.

Florida, Texas, and other “red states” could potentially flip blue, and analysts and politicians alike are watching this closely after the 2024 election.