Election results can be certified, unofficial, or statistical reports. These can be used to evaluate the outcomes of the election and the candidates’ success in governing the state. The main thing that the results indicate is how the candidates performed and whether or not the voters are satisfied with the way they were governed.
Unofficial results
If you are one of the millions of voters who cast a ballot in the recent presidential election, you may have heard about the unofficial election results being released online. The unofficial results are just as important as the certified results.
While it is not surprising that results are reported online as soon as possible, the release of unofficial election results does not guarantee that the results are accurate. In fact, some jurisdictions have been known to experience delays due to unforeseen issues with voting equipment.
Counties, cities, and political subdivisions have their own unique ways of reporting their own results. In many instances, results are updated sporadically, depending on when counties receive their data.
One of the best ways to find out how your county is doing is by checking the website of the county clerk. You can also check out the website of the local city or town.
Certified results
Election certification is a legal process where state officials certify the results of an election. This ensures that everyone’s vote is counted and accurate.
The process varies from state to state and county to county, but in general, the process involves reviewing ballots, counting votes, and confirming results. Depending on the state, it can take as little as a week to as long as a month to complete. Generally speaking, a three-fourths threshold is required for an election to be certified.
The election certification process also includes a post-election audit. That’s a process where election officials look at provisional ballots and other challenges to the election. Once a discrepancy has been resolved, the final results are certified.
Some states have laws that specifically prohibit delaying the certification of an election. In other states, a partisan official can theoretically delay the process.
Precinct by precinct
Precinct-by-precinct election results are often incomplete and not standardized. The reason is that states often use different ways to construct precincts. This can lead to a number of issues that may affect vote counts.
In addition, some states don’t release their precinct-level data publicly. They instead may or may not provide it upon request. For example, Florida suppresses precinct-level results when they are below a threshold. Other states add random noise to the results of low-turnout precincts.
Precinct by precinct counts provides information to political parties and candidates. Several news outlets publish statewide vote counts for gubernatorial and legislative elections. However, these may not match official county-level and state-level data.
It’s important to note that these precinct-by-precinct results are not the same as election totals at the county, state, or federal level. If a clerical error causes an error at the higher levels, the resulting vote count might be inaccurate.
Statistical reports
Statistical reports on election results are an integral part of our democracy. Some of these statistics can be found on your local county website. The granddaddy of all statistical reports is the one pertaining to early voting, which is a process that takes place from the morning of the actual voting day to about an hour before the actual vote is cast.
The site has a lot of information for the aficionado, including the number of ballots returned, the percentage of the electorate who voted, and the number of ballots that were returned by mail. In the event that you can’t find the information you are looking for, the county’s election officer is a great resource.
Checklist for securing election administration
Securing elections is essential to ensuring democracy in the United States. It involves protecting the voter registration databases and the voting machines. It also requires a whole-of-society approach. In order to ensure the safety of all voters, every person involved in the election should know what security safeguards are in place.
Election security has become a hot topic in recent years. A variety of resources have been developed to help election administrators secure their elections. The Elections Security Checklist© is one such resource. This document provides a step-by-step inventory of critical election systems and then guides users through a series of risk assessments and defensive measures. Whether planning for an election at the local, state, or federal level, these tools and resources can help you protect elections.
