How and when are election results finalized? (2020)
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As of December 11, 2020, all 50 states and the District of Columbia had certified their 2020 general election results.
Election results are finalized through processes called canvassing and certification. Canvassing generally refers to how state and local officials confirm the validity of ballots cast in an election. Certification is the process authorities use to formalize the election results based on the canvass. However, some states, localities, and commentators use the terms interchangeably to describe the entire process of counting ballots and formalizing results.[1]
Election result certification deadlines are generally fixed by state law. Certification deadlines for the 2020 election were as follows:
- The certification deadlines in five states were within one week of the election.
- In 28 states, the certification deadlines were between November 10 and November 30.
- In 14 states and the District of Columbia, the certification deadlines were in December.
- Three states (Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Tennessee) did not have fixed deadlines for results certification.
What about recounts? A recount is a process by which votes cast in an election are re-tabulated to verify the accuracy of the original results. In the event that a recount occurs, the effects of the election are delayed until the recount is resolved. Recount laws vary by state, but the two most common types of recounts are automatically triggered and requested. In the 2020 election cycles, 20 states had laws providing for automatically triggered recounts within a certain margin of victory. In 43 states, candidates, political parties, and voters (varies by state) could request a recount.[2] Click here to read about recount laws and procedures in the 50 states.
What about the presidential election? Under 3 U.S.C. § 5, a state must settle any presidential election disputes and determine its electors six days before the Electoral College meets. This safe harbor provision deadline fell on December 8 in 2020. The Electoral College cast its votes for president and vice president on December 14, 2020.[3]
Election result certification dates, 2020
The chart below shows state election result certification deadlines for the November 3, 2020, general election. A longer bar indicates a date further from the date of the general election.[4][5]
To read the statutory requirements for results certification by state, click here.
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.
More frequently asked questions about the 2020 election
Click on a question below to read the answer:
- General election information
- Who runs elections in the United States?
- Why do states have different election rules?
- What methods do states use to prevent election fraud?
- Do you have to vote for everything on your ballot?
- What happens if you mark outside the lines or use the wrong pen/pencil?
- What is a spoiled ballot?
- What is a write-in candidate?
- How can I check the status of my ballot?
- Can I take a ballot selfie?
- Presidential election
- What happens if a presidential candidate declares victory in the 2020 election before results are final?
- Can presidential candidates win the election if they have already conceded?
- What are the steps and deadlines for electing the President of the United States?
- What happens if there is a tie in the Electoral College?
- What are faithless electors in the Electoral College?
- What happens if a presidential nominee becomes incapacitated before the election?
- Can members of Congress object to Electoral College results?
- Processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots
- What is the life cycle of an absentee/mail-in ballot?
- What happens if I vote by mail and want to change my ballot at a later date?
- What happens if someone votes by mail and then tries to vote in person?
- How do states protect and verify absentee/mail-in ballots?
- How do election workers match signatures?
- Are results reported on election night coming from in-person or absentee/mail-in votes?
- Do states report how many mail-in/absentee ballots are outstanding on election night?
- Do absentee/mail-in ballots take longer to count than in-person ballots?
- What happens if someone votes by mail-in ballot or absentee ballot and subsequently passes away before Election Day?
- Disputing election results
- How will election recounts work?
- How close does an election have to be to trigger an automatic recount?
- Can a candidate or voter request a recount?
- Who pays for recounts and contested elections?
- What are poll watchers?
- What does it mean to challenge a voter's eligibility, and who can do it?
- What is a redo election?
- Who can file election-related lawsuits?
- What are the reasons to call a redo election?
- Who can call a redo election?
- Can a redo be held for a presidential election?
- Transitions of power and taking office
- Who is the president if election results are unknown by January 20, 2021?
- Who serves in Congress if election results are unknown by January 2021?
- Who serves in a state or local government if election results are unknown?
- What happens if the winning presidential candidate becomes incapacitated before taking office?
- Articles about potential scenarios in the 2020 election
- U.S. Supreme Court actions affecting the November 3, 2020, general election
See also
Related articles
- US Election 2020: When will we get a result and could it be contested? - BBC, September 29, 2020
- When Will We Know the 2020 Presidential Election Results? A Guide to Possible Delays - The Wall Street Journal, September 25, 2020
- Election Night 2020 could go on for weeks — just look at the primaries - The Washington Post, September 17, 2020
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Election Commission, "Canvassing and Certifying an election," October 2008
- ↑ National Association of Secretaries of State, "SUMMARY: STATE ELECTION CANVASSING TIMEFRAMES AND RECOUNT THRESHOLDS - October 2020," accessed October 6, 2020
- ↑ National Constitution Center, "What happens next in the presidential election process?" November 6, 2020
- ↑ This information was compiled by Ballotpedia staffers; specific sources include state statutes, election administration manuals, election calendars, and email inquiries. Sources are noted in the table.
- ↑ U.S. Election Assistance Commission, "Chapter 13: Canvassing and Certifying an Election," accessed October 8, 2018
