Despite what people hear from the news or read in the newspaper, election results reported on election night are never the final, certified results. It takes several days and even weeks to count and verify all the ballots that were cast. It is important for election officials to communicate this process clearly so that voters can have confidence in the outcome of their elections.
To assist in this effort, EAC has prepared a set of guidelines for media coverage of election results and an accompanying toolkit that includes helpful information about the varying processes used to report on and certify election results. This guide and toolkit can be found here.
EAC has also teamed up with several organizations to conduct research on how the public perceives and responds to election results. Our research team will focus on the underlying processes that determine election outcomes and how they may influence citizens’ perceptions of electoral integrity and satisfaction with democracy.
Previous research has shown that expectations of an election’s outcome are driven by partisan biases (Kuru, Pasek and Traugott 2020; Dolan and Holbrook 2001). If those expectations are unfulfilled, it can lead to dissatisfaction with the electoral process and democracy more generally (Sindermann, Cooper and Montag 2021; Tandoc 2019). This is why it’s important for the public to be informed about the full range of steps that need to be taken before a race is called “official.” See below for a list of some typical steps that occur after polls close.