How Long Do We Have to Wait For Election Results?

Voters are eager to hear election results, but it takes days and sometimes weeks after Election Day for officials to fully count and certify all ballots. This process, known as a canvass, is essential to ensure that every vote is counted accurately and that voters have confidence in the official results.

In a time when our politics are highly polarized and emotions run high, it’s important to remember that one person or party won’t shape the country’s course—and that will take an immense amount of work from all kinds of people, in all parts of the country. Taking steps to manage your own anxiety and stress can help you stay grounded and focused, but it’s also important to extend an extra scoop of grace to those around you.

Almost all states use winner-takes-all electoral college systems in which the candidate who wins the statewide popular vote (‘one person, one vote’) receives all of that state’s electoral votes. However, a few states (including Maine and Nebraska) determine a portion of their electoral votes through district voting.

Some states have recount procedures for close races. These can be either hand or machine recounts. If there is a discrepancy between the recount results and the certified results, a court will decide which set of results to stand.

In ranked choice elections, a final result may not be known until all of the ballots are counted including early mail, military, affidavit and verified provisional ballots. These additional ballots can change the rankings of candidates, leading to different outcomes in some races.