When does the count begin?

As is customary in democratic elections worldwide, votes are only counted once the polling stations have closed. At his last campaign rally, in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump raised unrealistic expectations regarding the speed of counting. "We want the answer tonight," he said, ignoring the fact that it is not uncommon for the official results in some states to come days, even weeks, after Election Day.

Delays can be caused, for example, by the amount of time it takes to count mail ballots. In the swing states of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, these can only be processed after polling stations have closed. In most other states, envelopes might be opened before and signatures checked in order to speed up the counting process.

Who counts the votes?

Hundreds of thousands of poll workers have been deployed across the country. There is a minimum age of 18 in most states and of 16 in exceptional cases. Generally, poll workers have to be eligible to vote themselves. In some states, they have to have a party affiliation.

As a rule, ballots cast at polling stations are counted first and then come the postal votes. Since Democrats and their supporters are much more likely to vote by mail than Republicans, there can be major changes during the counting process. Some talk of "red mirage" when a Republican lead turns into a loss.

In most states, optical scanners are used to count ballots as they are considered faster, cheaper and more accurate than humans. Other special devices might also be used to mark ballots and record information. There are also computer systems that can record votes and print them out after voting has ended. Local electoral boards use information about voting to pass on unofficial results. Depending on states, however, there might have to be recounts.

Since this year's election is so close, recounts could be particularly significant. In the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania, the law allows for a second recount if the margin between two candidates is within 0.5%. Some states also provide for a recount if candidates, courts or a specified number of voters request one.

When do media outlets call a result?

Several major US media outlets have sent reporters out across the country. For this election, DW is working with the AP news agency, whose reporters are on the ground in more than 4,000 voting precincts and election offices. Analysts use the vote count of reporters' interim tallies to evaluate when a lead in an individual county or state is comfortable enough for a winner to be declared. Although this process is somewhat faster than determining the official results, it can also take some time: In 2020, AP did not declare Joe Biden the winner until four days after election day.

What is canvassing?

Canvassing is an important step in the counting process as it ensures that every valid vote is included in the final result. All ambiguities, such as ballot papers that are difficult to read, are documented. The formalities of the voting process itself are also monitored. The election laws of the federal states regulate who is responsible for the process and how long it may take.

What is certification?

After results are canvassed they are then certified, generally at local level and then for the whole state. Depending on the election law, either special committees are set up to do this or officials, such as members of a governor's cabinet, will be appointed. The certification process decides which presidential electors will represent a state in the Electoral College. Most states set a deadline that is either the end of November or the beginning of December. 

How is a fair and free election guaranteed? 

One of the most important confidence-building measures in the election process is the multi-eye principle: All important steps on the ground are carried out jointly by poll workers and electoral board members, who have previously undergone appropriate training. Mail ballots are also typically collected from post offices by several poll workers and transported in secure containers.

In postal voting, which was a particular focus of disinformation campaigns in 2020, the year the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, signed verifications are used to ensure that only the voter eligible to use a ballot actually votes. During the count, these statements are compared with registration data to rule out the possibility that an eligible voter might vote a second time in person at the ballot box.

In many states, the entire election process is open to observers from political parties, from academia and civil society, as well as from international organizations. Several states, including Pennsylvania, only allow political party observers, while others restrict some steps of the process. In some states, election observers are not provided for by law.

This article was translated from German.