Official election results to take days before declaring winners
SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- Election day is just one day away, but that doesn’t mean final results will be as well!
The St. Joseph County Election Board wants to remind voters of the expectation of vote totals and results on election night , and the days following, to avoid as much confusion as possible.
According to election officials, historic and unprecedented number of absentee voters, walk-ins and mail-ins, as well as state laws that forbid the opening and counting of absentee votes until election day, are the reasons for delayed results.
The St. Joseph County Election Board released the following procedures to help avoid confusion as vote totals are released:
- On election night, results will be released that comprise of all votes made in person at the polls (vote centers) on election day, plus all walk-in absentee votes that are processed by 6:00 p.m.
- Absentee vote processing will take place each day following the election until approximately 5:00 p.m.
- At the end of each day, updated vote results will be released between 5:00 p.m. And 7:00 p.m.
- With each new release of vote results, the election board will provide an estimate of the percentage of votes that have been counted.
- The election board will make a definitive statement when all absentee ballots have been processed and tallied.
"You know, this could go for a very long time. I'm not just talking about the day after election but maybe for weeks after the election! If this are close in a lot of states, especially key states, you're going to see recounts, challenges in courts, and it could go on for a very long time," said ABC 57 political expert, Jack Colwell.
Officials mention that if any unforeseen circumstances such as technical issues or any other issues occur—the public will be notified.
Its important to refrain from calling winners and losers in any election until results are tallied.
As a reminder, all votes remain unofficial until the November 13th certification.