What Happens After Election Day: Counting, Canvassing and Certification

The numbers on television on election night are not official results. They are early, unofficial tallies reported by counties as they come in. Turning them into certified results takes days or weeks, and that process follows a set of steps that are similar in every state, even though the deadlines differ.

Step 1: Counting continues after the polls close

Several kinds of ballots are often counted after election night:

• Mail ballots. Some states let officials process mail ballots before Election Day; others do not allow any processing until polls open or close. States in the second group often report results more slowly.
• Late-arriving mail ballots. A number of states count mail ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but arrive within a few days afterward.
• Provisional ballots. Voters whose eligibility can’t be confirmed at the polls cast a provisional ballot. Officials check each one before deciding whether it counts.
• Ballots needing a fix (“curing”). In many states, voters are given a chance to correct a missing signature or other problem on a mail ballot.

This is why the lead in a close race can shift in the days after the election. The change reflects ballots being counted in a different order, not votes being added or lost.

Step 2: The canvass

After counting, each county runs a canvass: a formal review that reconciles the number of ballots cast with the number of voters who checked in, checks tally sheets, and resolves problems. Many states also run post-election audits at this stage, hand-counting a sample of paper ballots to confirm the machines counted correctly.

Step 3: Certification

When the canvass is done, the county board certifies its results and sends them to the state. A state official or board — often the secretary of state or a state canvassing board — then certifies statewide results. Certification is a required, ministerial duty: officials confirm the count is complete and accurate, but they do not have discretion to reject results they dislike. Disputes go to recounts and courts, which have their own deadlines.

State certification deadlines for the general election usually fall between late November and mid-December. Your secretary of state’s website lists the exact date for your state.

Step 4: Recounts and contests

If a race is close enough, a recount may follow certification (see our explainer on how recounts work). A candidate can also file a legal contest arguing the election was conducted improperly. These cases are rare and seldom change outcomes.

Step 5: Seating the winners

New members of Congress are sworn in on January 3. For House races, the Constitution gives the House itself the final word: Article I, Section 5 makes each chamber “the judge” of its members’ elections. Under the Federal Contested Elections Act, a losing House candidate can ask the House to review a result, though the House almost never overturns a certified winner.

That power was tested after 2020, when Iowa’s 2nd District was decided by six votes. Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks was certified the winner; her Democratic opponent, Rita Hart, asked the House to review the race and later withdrew her challenge.

Why races take time to call

News organizations “call” a race when they judge the remaining uncounted ballots cannot change the outcome. In close races, or in states that count mail ballots late, that judgment can take days. A race that hasn’t been called is not a sign of fraud or error — it means the count is still going.