Thinking about Elections

WHAT HAPPENS after the voters have voted on election day: counting, reporting results, certification, recounts, audits, etc.“I caution folks when you hear about election night projections, when they make a call, they can be incorrect. They’re not official and they’re not truly from election offices,” says Donald Palmer U.S. Election Assistance Commissioner. 

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Audits are a key component of elections that many people aren’t aware of. Audits are one of the many checks and balances that make sure election results are accurate. Audits are required post-election in 49 states and Washington, DC.***Recounts are done when elections are very close. State laws dictate how small a victory margin must be to trigger a recount. When the media covers recounts, they rarely if ever cover the nuts and bolts of how they are done.“Some ballots,” says Palmer, “will need to be looked at to see what the voter intended to vote. If a voter circled the candidates instead of filling in the bubble, the vote might not count unless it is a close race. Two people from different parties will look at your ballot and determine if the voter intent is clear.”

“Recounts rarely change results,” says Palmer. He cites a 2018 Florida election in which three statewide races were within a 10,000-vote margin; recounts yielded no change in results.”

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