1980 United States presidential election

NBC News election night coverage, November 4, 1980 Watch this one for the speed. NBC projected Ronald Reagan the winner at about 8:15 p.m. Eastern, nearly three hours before polls closed in the West, and Jimmy Carter conceded that evening while some Western voters were still able to cast ballots. The early call started a long argument about whether projections discourage late voters, which is why later broadcasts grew so careful about poll closing times. As television it is a strangely deflated night, with the answer arriving before the drama has time to build.