A national election requires a system that is transparent, accurate and secure. That system includes a process for certifying election results. The certification process usually takes days (and sometimes weeks) after Election Day to make sure every valid vote is counted.
During the days and weeks leading up to Election Day, voters cast ballots in person or by mail at voting locations across their jurisdictions. These votes are not counted on Election Day, but they do count toward a final result. News outlets collect data from these early in-person and mail ballots to inform their predictions about a race’s winner (often referred to as a “call”).
Once a call is made, the counting of official ballots resumes. Depending on the state, this process may take hours, days or weeks to ensure that all ballots are securely and accurately counted. This is known as a “canvass.” Only when all the verified votes are tallied can we know who won the race and which offices were won.
Research has found that citizens’ willingness to accept election results depends on their confidence that the process is fair and transparent. The presidential election of 2020 and the violent protests that followed it illustrate a clear danger to our democracy from efforts to subvert electoral processes. The Trump administration has launched a concerted drive to undermine American elections. These attacks are unprovoked and in many cases illegal. Whether through affirmative attacks on democratic institutions, or through the repeal and withdrawal of voter protections, these attacks are undermining trust in the American election system.
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