It doesn’t matter whether it’s a municipal, provincial or federal election: when it comes to calling a winner, there’s no room for error. Here’s how CTV News delivers accurate, up-to-the-minute results directly to your home.

For Tuesday’s B.C. election, the action will begin as soon as polls close at 8 p.m. Results from the province’s 85 ridings will immediately begin flowing into the CTV newsroom in downtown Vancouver, where a dedicated group of analysts can begin poring over the data.

“We have a team of statisticians and mathematicians who are among the best in Canada,” said elections executive producer Anton Koschany. “When it gets really tight, we don’t go out on a limb. We do this with real math, with real statistical analysis.”

But with more than 1.5 million registered B.C. voters expected to cast ballots, the 12-person decision team can’t do it alone. They’ll be aided by CTV’s state-of-the-art reporting software, which has been developed and perfect for more than 40 years.

“It helps us analyze the votes as they come in and help us make those projections on the ridings, and get declaring who’s going to win a riding and then projecting who’s going to form a government,” Koschany said.

As the decision team calls MLA victories, results producer Jon Woodward will be in the CTV control room deciding which winners to announce live during the station’s two-hour election special, airing from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

He’s familiar with the most hotly-contested battleground ridings, and can choose which stories deserve to be broadcast first. He’ll also be ready to let viewers know any other noteworthy findings, from surprising upsets to statistical ties.

“In a way I’m an air traffic controller,” Woodward said. “I see the numbers come in, I put the boards up on the screen and the anchors react, and I think that’s the main engine that’s driving the story.”

Anchors Mike Killeen and Tamara Taggart will be reading results from the station, and speaking with reporters live on-location in ridings around Metro Vancouver, the Okanagan and Vancouver Island. Others will also be stationed at NDP, Liberal, Green and Conservative headquarters getting supporter reactions as the calls come in.

For CTV’s political junkies, there are few nights more satisfying to be at work.

“If you’re into the business of politics and news, this is our Stanley Cup,” Koschany said.

Watch CTV News starting at 8 p.m. for the latest results
You can also watch the livestream on bc.ctvnews.ca
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Jina You