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Ballotpedia's 2020 Election Help Desk: Election result reporting and certification
Click here for more information about our 2020 election coverage.
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| Frequently asked questions General questions Presidential election Processing/counting mail ballots Results and certification Disputing results • Officeholder transitions | |
| Absentee/mail-in voting analysis Mail-in voting by state, 2016-2018 Mail-in rejection by state, 2016-2018 Uncalled races, 2018 When can states begin counting? Processing, counting, and challenging ballots | |
| Voting in 2020 Absentee/mail-in voting • Early voting • Voter ID Poll opening and closing times Recount laws by state Recount margin requirements by state U.S. Supreme Court actions | |
| Elections by state | |
The 2020 election took place against a backdrop of uncertainty. Our readers had questions about what to expect in elections at all levels of government, from the casting of ballots to the certification of final results. Ballotpedia's 2020 Election Help Desk was designed to answer those questions.
In a canvass, election officials verify that each ballot cast in the election was correctly counted. Certification is the process by which the results of an election are made official. The two processes are closely related, and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. If you have a question you'd like to see answered, contact our team.
Frequently asked questions related to election results reporting and certification include:
- How and when are election results finalized?
- How will election recounts work?
- What happens if candidates declare victory in the 2020 election before results are final?
- Can candidates win an election if they have already conceded?
- How do major media outlets declare winners?
As always, if you need to know what is on your ballot in November 2020, click here to use our sample ballot lookup tool.
How and when are election results finalized?
Certification of election results is conducted at the state level. Election result certification deadlines are set in state law. When can you expect to see finalized results in elections this November? Click here to find out.
How will election recounts work?
- See also: How will election recounts work?
An election recount is a process by which votes cast in an election are re-tabulated to verify the accuracy of the original results. Recounts typically occur in the event of a close margin of victory, following accusations of election fraud, or due to the possibility of administrative errors.[1] Click here to learn more about how they begin, how they work, and what happens after they end.
What happens if candidates declare victory in the 2020 election before results are final?
The rise in absentee/mail-in voting and lawsuits over changes in election procedures may contribute to delays in the reporting of election results. As a result, we may not know the outcome of some elections on election night. What happens if a candidate declares victory before the results are final? Click here to find out.
Can candidates win an election if they have already conceded?
Candidates concede when they give a statement to the effect that they have lost the election. Candidates commonly call opponents to congratulate them on their victory before giving a public concession speech to supporters. Is a concession the final word on the outcome of an election? Can a candidate still win an election if he or she has conceded? Click here to find out.
How do major media outlets declare winners?
Major media outlets often project who the winner of an election will be before all votes have been counted. What methods do they use to project winners? How have they changed these methods in response to the rise of mail voting in the 2020 election? Click here to find out.
See also
Footnotes
