How election officials know who won

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Supporter,

We look to the election with increasing confidence — the system is stronger than ever before. Unfortunately, that isn’t the end of the story. In the coming weeks, we may see baseless charges and attacks. Conspiracy theorists and election deniers are going to make a lot of noise, spreading disinformation, including the Big Lie, in hopes that Americans will disengage and lose faith in democracy. We can never let that be the new normal.

We can fight back by lifting up everything that poll workers and election officials — our neighbors and community members — do to keep our elections free and fair. Even if it takes several days to find out who wins the presidency and who wins the House and Senate, that doesn’t mean that there’s a problem — it means these officials are doing their job.

So after you cast your ballot, what comes next? Please share this information with friends and family so that they also know what to expect on election night and the days after.

About 98 percent of all voters will vote using paper ballots.

Most states begin counting mail ballots before November 5. Others, like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, cannot begin until Election Day and will take longer to count. (Passing the Freedom to Vote Act would fix this!)

Ballots are tallied using machines that have been tested and certified to federal security standards — machine counts are much more accurate than hand counts.

Voters who made technical errors on their mail ballots are allowed to fix them in some states. Election officials resolve any discrepancies and verify vote totals.

Recounts are conducted if the results are close.

Election results are officially certified as complete and final.

Despite what election deniers claim, there are checks and safeguards from the moment the first mail ballots are sent to the final certification of results. Officials store ballots securely, and chain-of-custody records ensure that they’re always accounted for. The 2020 election was the most secure in history, and since then, election officials have further strengthened our voting systems. But election deniers and vote suppressors have intensified their efforts too.

We are ready to stop conspiracy theorists from undermining public trust and upending the certification process after the election is over. The fights are going to intensify in the next few weeks and in the year to come. Help the Brennan Center defend our democracy in the fights ahead.

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Safe and secure elections involve many checks. These processes ensure we can trust the accuracy of the results.

Thank you for standing up for democracy,

The Brennan Center team



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Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law

120 Broadway, Suite 1750 New York, NY 10271

646-292-8310

tel:646-292-8310

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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