The floodlights at the White House are usually turned off around 10 p.m. ET every night. Midterms election night this year is different.
Tonight they will stay on until around 2 a.m. into Wednesday morning, to accommodate television correspondents and reporters working to meet deadlines.
The bright lights are turned off earlier on other nights, in part, because they shine into the executive residence where the president and first lady live at the White House.
As the Associated Press reported, U.S. Secret Service officers usually pass through the press briefing room each night, to check news organization offices to make sure all reporters have left the building so they can lock the doors to the workspace.
The rules are usually relaxed on major news nights, like midterm and presidential elections, and presidential inaugurations.
