Today’s midterm elections on Nov. 3 will decide which party will have control of Congress, which is currently held by Republicans. In this election, U.S. citizens over 18 choose one-third of the senators and all members of the House of Representatives.
In that sense, it is important to keep in mind that official results can take days to be known, even though the first projections may start coming in today.
How long it will take to count the votes
The time needed to carry out the count varies by state and by the number of voters, since the greater the number, the longer it will take, so there is no fixed, set time when it will be available.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission explains that preliminary election results are sent by local jurisdictions to state election officials once the polls have closed.
“The unofficial results are then posted on the state election website and reported to the media,” it says.
When election results become official
Preliminary results can change as the hours pass, as the rest of the votes are counted, including mail ballots and those cast by military and overseas voters.
At the local level and then at the state level, the canvass is conducted, where the total vote is reviewed and any discrepancies that may have been detected are resolved. Different states also conduct audits to ensure the accuracy of the total vote.
Once the process is complete, the results are certified and reported. According to officials, this can take several days.
The results can be found on this site once they are available.