Dear reader, 

Thank you for using Ballotpedia to stay informed this election season. We are honored to be able to help so many voters research their ballots. You’re in good company; over 67 million people have visited Ballotpedia.org so far this year. 

Our work doesn’t stop once people are finished filling out their ballots.

As the Encyclopedia of American Politics, we also have a responsibility to share the results of the elections, and report and record the governing that follows. 

On election day, our team eagerly awaits for the counting to start. In 2020, due to many changes in election procedures, the pace and timing of how results come in is going to be somewhat different than in past years.

I wanted to take a moment to let you know what situations we are preparing for and what you can expect from us.

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Ballotpedia has devoted resources to stay on top of scores of changes in this year's primary, special, and general elections. There have also been hundreds of lawsuits seeking, or challenging, such changes.

We’ve launched the Election Help Desk to publish that information, answer questions about the new world of voting in 2020, and prepare for different scenarios that may play out after the polls close. 

The Election Help Desk tackles questions such as 

• Do you have to vote for everything on your ballot?
• Who serves in Congress if election results are unknown by January 2021?
• How will election recounts work?
• Who serves in a state or local government if election results are unknown?
• What happens if you mark outside the lines or use the wrong pen/pencil?

It’s impossible to predict what will happen. As an encyclopedia we stay out of the business of commenting. Many post-election scenarios that are being considered have never been litigated in the courts. Thus, discussion about the possible outcomes of the unpredictable scenarios are, in many ways, just speculation, and there is no exact certainty about what might happen should any of these scenarios play out. 

That’s why Ballotpedia worked to gather all of the information that is currently available so that it is on-hand to reference in many different scenarios. 

We’ve also adjusted our policies for calling races when election results become available. 

Ballotpedia is projecting the outcome of an election based on the type of office and its competitiveness. For top-ballot offices, competitive races, and those that may have a meaningful effect on the balance of power in government, we will be waiting to report results until a consensus has been reached by five national news outlets. 

In total, Ballotpedia is covering elections for 10,224 seats and 650 ballot measures that are being voted on as we speak. 

This work can only be accomplished because of the generosity of readers like you. Thank you for making this all possible. 

-Leslie

Leslie Graves
President and CEO
Ballotpedia.org
8383 Greenway Blvd., Suite 600
Middleton, WI 53562
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