Welcome to the August edition of The Lever, featuring expert insights and analysis from Voting Rights Lab. Today we’re exploring why we can’t get complete election results on election night – and why that’s a good thing. Plus, we’re highlighting the latest reporting on the Georgia State Election Board’s flurry of recent rule-making, a new report on voter turnout and ballot rejections from the Union of Concerned Scientists, and a wave of veterans and their family members who have signed up to work the polls this November.

BALLOT COUNTING: A BIG "HEAD START" OFTEN EXPLAINS AN EARLIER FINISH

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently boasted about how his state counts and reports results on election night, claiming “there is no reason why this cannot be done in every state in America.”

The truth is that no state – Florida included – counts every vote on election night. There are many reasons – all prescribed by state law – why some states report election results faster than others. As we approach what is likely to be another close election, here are some key points to keep in mind:

Verifying and counting votes takes time.
Some states’ voting processes give them an advantage in reporting earlier results.
Results released on election night are unofficial and always incomplete.
Additional checks and balances help ensure everyone’s vote counts and the results are accurate.

Read our latest blog post about how the processes of counting and reporting election results vary from state to state.

READ OUR ANALYSIS

BY THE NUMBERS

140,000

That’s how many veterans and their family members have registered to serve as election workers in the upcoming election through the organization Vet the Vote, according to the Military Times. This figure surpasses the organization’s initial goal of registering 100,000 servicemembers and family members to serve as poll workers for the 2024 election, and represents more than double the results of the organization’s 2022 efforts.

Fully-staffed polling locations are critical for running efficient, secure elections, and Vet the Vote believes that veterans are uniquely qualified in their status as trusted community members who can help lend credibility to the process. This year, the organization’s work has received additional support through partnerships with large brands including NASCAR, Walmart, and Microsoft.

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WHAT WE'RE READING

The Associated Press reported last week on the Georgia State Election Board’s recent activity. Last Monday, the Board voted to approve a new rule that purports to ensure proper vote counting, but is likely to cause confusion and delays in finalizing election results:

“The rule adopted Monday requires county election officials to generate lists of voters who cast ballots in an election, categorized by voting method, and to examine them for duplicates. After any discrepancies have been investigated and resolved as required by law, all returns ‘which are entitled to be counted’ shall be recorded and verified as accurate.

"The rule also requires county officials to meet by 3 p.m. on the Friday after an election to review precinct returns — that’s before the 5 p.m. Friday deadline for overseas and military ballots to be returned and for any issues with provisional or absentee ballots to be rectified by voters. And it says county election officials ‘shall be permitted to examine all election related documentation created during the conduct of elections’ before they certify results.”

Last week's vote is the latest in recent rule-making efforts by the Georgia State Election Board to change how election results are finalized in the state – fewer than three months out from the 2024 election.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

FROM OUR PARTNERS

The Union of Concerned Scientists released a new report this month that drew on precinct-level data gathered from 11 counties across seven battleground states to analyze who participated in the 2020 election – and how likely it was that their ballots were ultimately counted.

Key findings reflect significant racial disparities. Voter turnout was highest in majority-white precincts and lower in majority-Black and majority-Hispanic precincts, with the latter reporting nearly twice the ballot rejection rate of majority-white precincts, a statistical finding that the Union deems “an observable, legitimate threat to electoral integrity.”

The report’s findings can additionally be explored through an interactive map.

LEARN MORE FROM UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS

THE MARKUP

The Markup is Voting Rights Lab’s weekly law and policy update, powered by our Voting Rights Tracker. If you’d like to get these insights straight to your inbox, head here to sign up. Here’s a preview of what we’re watching this week:

Supreme Court limits ability to register to vote without proof of citizenship in Arizona. The Supreme Court issued a temporary order with mixed effects on an Arizona law that requires individuals registering to vote to show documentary proof of citizenship. After defendants filed an emergency appeal challenging a decision by the 9th Circuit to stay the judgment of the federal district court that prohibited the enforcement of new laws passed in 2022, the Supreme Court ordered that those registering to vote without proof of citizenship could only do so using a federal registration form and that those using the Arizona-specific form could have their application rejected if they did not provide proof of citizenship.

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