(NewsNation) — Finalizing the results of a presidential election is often a slower process than voters realize — a misunderstanding that makes it easier for misinformation to take root.
With voters heading to the polls Tuesday, NewsNation explained how the ballot counting process works and what Americans can expect.
When do election officials start counting votes?
Election officials publish unofficial results after the polls close on Election Day. Those results will fluctuate as in-person, mail-in, provisional, overseas and military ballots are counted.
Each state has its own rules for when different kinds of ballots can be counted.
Throughout election night and — in some states — several days later, unofficial results will periodically change to reflect those totals.
How are ballots counted?
Election officials need to process mail-in ballots before they can count them — an undertaking that varies by state.
While some states begin processing mail-in votes before Election Day, others can process them the same day as the election before polls close.
Once those ballots are processed, how and when they’re counted and reflected in live, unofficial results vary greatly.
When will the presidential election results be final?
Results you see the night of the election, the next morning and often weeks later are always unofficial.
It typically takes several days or weeks to finalize election results and certify a winner.
Before anything is official, a joint session of Congress must take place to count the Electoral College votes for president and vice president.
Why does it take so long to finalize election results?
Once election officials in each jurisdiction receive every ballot, they need to canvass them.
That usually means analyzing vote totals to find and fix any discrepancies between the number of voters and the number of ballots cast, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
Most states also conduct audits as an extra measure to make sure their totals are accurate.
Once canvasses and audits are done, the election results are certified as final.
Can election results change after votes are certified and final?
Yes. Some races may be subject to a recount after the certification process if it was a close call or if a candidate or interest group requests it.
In those cases, every ballot in a contest is recounted and could hypothetically change the official results.
Recounts have flipped the results in three non-presidential races. They helped Al Franken win his Minnesota Senate seat in 2008 and led Thomas Salmon to secure his role as Vermont state auditor in 2006. Christine Gregorie was also declared the winner of the Washington gubernatorial race in 2004 after a recount.
All three candidates were Democrats.
