This is the first in a series of articles we will be releasing leading up to the 2o24 election to help educate the public on how elections are actually conducted. With all of the rampant misinformation and confusion surrounding elections, we hope this series will clarify some of the issues voters are struggling to grasp.
Today, we will be talking about how votes are counted. One popular myth is that all the votes used to be counted on election night and we knew the winner before going to bed. Some voters have either bought into the myth without giving it a second thought, or they have forgotten fairly recent history.
The truth is we have not always known who the president is on election night. That might surprise some people, but the idea that we always knew the outcome before midnight is a modern misconception.
The truth is, vote counting has always taken time, and many elections in our history weren’t decided until days or even weeks later. So, why do so many voters today expect immediate results?
Why People Think Election Night is “Final”
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The belief that elections are wrapped up by the end of Election Day comes from decades of TV news coverage. Historically, major networks reported election outcomes based on exit polls and partial vote counts. For most of the night, anchors would talk about “projections” rather than certified results. These projections were based on statistical models, not the final vote count.
But over time, people began to equate those early calls with the actual outcome.
Think about it. Polls close at 7 and by 7:05 on election night the major networks have already called at least four states. The votes are not counted that fast, so they are relying on projections. The real work of counting the votes is done by election workers in each precinct and county, not by the news.
We should also note that there is no “they” counting or directing the votes nationwide. Each state and county has its own local people who count the votes. It is decentralized in order to prevent the types of accusations that have been made recently. We could this way to prevent large scale efforts to steal elections. As popular as it may be to believe that a mythical “they” is out there controlling the vote count, it simply isn’t how our elections are set up.
With the rise of technology, people began to expect near-instant results. What many voters don’t realize is that, while the media can make calls, those are unofficial. The real work—counting every single vote, including absentee and mail-in ballots—happens at election offices across the country.
How Votes Are Actually Counted
Here’s the deal: counting ballots takes time. When the polls close, local election officials begin counting. In many areas, they count in-person votes first, but other types of ballots—such as mail-in, absentee, and provisional ballots—aren’t counted until later. Many states allow ballots postmarked by Election Day to be received and counted in the days that follow. In Georgia, the local elections office must receive the ballot before polls close on Election Day. States also have provisional ballots, which require verification before they’re added to the official tally.
Think about this. In some states, absentee ballots must be postmarked by election day to be counted. Postmarked. Not delivered. They could be delivered days later. That isn’t the case in Georgia, but it is elsewhere. Because the person voted before election day or on election day, their vote has every right to be counted. As you can see, this takes time.
Results aren’t official until every valid vote is counted, and counties certify those results. This can take several days or even weeks, depending on the complexity of the election, voter turnout, and state laws governing ballot submission deadlines.
“Ballot Dumps:” Let’s address the idea that there are major “ballot dumps” that occur, where new ballots are somehow “found.” This is not the case. There is no technology that allows us to see live vote counts. You’re not going to see the numbers tick up one vote at a time. Instead, elections offices count ballots and send numbers to the secretary of state in batches. Sometimes it may be after a certain number are counted, other times it may be at certain time intervals, and sometimes it may be because reporters have been calling them for two hours wondering when the next set of votes are going to be posted.
When the new numbers are released that is an update to the counting that is going on. It is not a “ballot dump.” No additional ballots were “found.” These are the ballots they have been counting.
Imagine you and 10 of your friends are going to sit down and count and tally a votes for what type o f beer to serve at your town’s fourth of July celebration. If 30,000 people vote it is going to take a while.
Let’s break it down.
The time it would take 10 people to count 30,000 ballots depends on the speed at which each person can process ballots. Let’s assume each person can count and tally one ballot every 10 seconds.
In one minute, each person would count 6 ballots. In one hour, each person would count 360 ballots.
If there are 10 people counting, they could collectively count 3,600 ballots per hour (360 ballots x 10 people).
To count 30,000 ballots:
• 30,000 ballots ÷ 3,600 ballots/hour = 8.33 hours.
So, under this assumption, it would take around 8 hours and 20 minutes for 10 people to count 30,000 ballots, not accounting for breaks or other delays. If the counting rate changes, the time would vary accordingly.
As you can see, a hand count of ballots for a town of 30,000 people would take 8 hours to count. That is 3 a.m. with no break if polls close at 7.
Yes, we have computers now, but voting staff still has to feed memory cards into the computers and move the process along. So in a town of 30,000 it may no longer take 8 hours, but it still takes a good bit of time.
Examples of Extended Vote Counting
While the 2000 and 2020 presidential elections are well-known examples of delayed results, they aren’t the isolated incidents people think they are. Many elections in U.S. history took days or weeks to finalize without major drama.
Take the 1948 Presidential Election. In that race, Harry Truman famously held up a newspaper with the premature headline “Dewey Defeats Truman,” even though the final results weren’t known until days later. Truman’s come-from-behind victory wasn’t confirmed until nearly two days after polls closed.
Another clear example is the 1916 Presidential Election. Woodrow Wilson’s reelection was not decided until November 10, three days after Election Day, when California’s votes finally tipped the scales in his favor.
The 1968 Presidential Election also took several days to conclude, as absentee ballots from troops fighting in Vietnam delayed the official results. Richard Nixon won, but it wasn’t clear until the final votes were counted.
Even in non-presidential elections, delays aren’t unusual. In 2018, the Arizona Senate race between Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally wasn’t called until six days after the election, once all mail-in ballots were counted.
Want more? So glad you asked. The 2000 Presidential Election between George W. Bush and Al Gore is the most famous example of an election that took weeks to decide. The recount in Florida was a national spectacle, and the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ended it on December 12, more than a month after Election Day.
The 1960 Presidential Election took several days to settle, with late counts trickling in from states like Illinois and Texas before John F. Kennedy was declared the winner.
The 1876 Presidential Election dragged on for months, resulting in the Compromise of 1877 to settle the dispute between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden.
Why It Matters
Elections are about getting it right, not getting it fast. The belief that results should be final by midnight on Election Night is based on impatience and media habits, not reality.
The job of election officials is to make sure every valid vote is counted and the process is fair, even if it takes longer than we’d like.
Democracy isn’t about instant gratification. It’s about accuracy and integrity. So, the next time you’re waiting for election results, remember: the delay isn’t a problem; it’s part of the process.
Update Log: Updated on 10/18 to clarify absentee ballot rules in Georgia.
