US midterm election results: How votes are counted, races called and winners certified

When polls close in the United States during midterm elections, the results that begin appearing on television and election websites are not the final, official results.

The US does not have a single national authority that declares all election winners on election night. Vote counting and certification are handled by state and local election officials, with procedures and timelines varying across states.

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The US Election Assistance Commission (EAC) says election-night results remain unofficial until they go through the required canvass and certification process. Even a result showing “100% precincts reporting” can still be unofficial.

What happens after US polls close?

Once voting ends, ballots and electronic vote records are securely transferred to election offices. Local election officials begin reporting preliminary vote totals, which are then aggregated at the state level.

The Associated Press, which independently counts votes and calls races, says its vote-count reporters collect results from precincts and county election offices as soon as polls close. AP cross-checks those figures against official county and state websites and electronic feeds where available.

Poll-closing times differ from state to state, and some states have multiple closing times because they span more than one time zone. AP begins reporting results as soon as they become available after the applicable poll-close time.

Why can US election results change after election night?

The first numbers reported on election night do not necessarily include every eligible ballot.

Election officials may still have to process and count mail ballots, provisional ballots, early votes, and ballots from military and overseas voters, depending on state rules.

As additional votes are counted, a candidate's lead can increase, shrink or disappear. The EAC says unofficial results continue to be released until all ballots have been counted and the required post-election processes have been completed.

When does a news organisation declare a winner?

This is separate from the government's certification process.

News organisations such as AP analyse incoming vote totals and the number of ballots still outstanding to determine whether the trailing candidate still has a mathematical path to victory.

AP says it calls a race only when it is confident the trailing candidate can no longer win. It does not simply call a race because one candidate is leading.

That means a race can be “called” by the media before it is officially certified by election authorities.

A candidate declaring victory or conceding also does not automatically make the result official. AP says candidate concessions are not legally binding and do not by themselves determine when the organisation declares a winner.

What is the canvass?

After votes are counted, election officials conduct a formal canvass.

The EAC describes the canvass as the process of aggregating and confirming valid ballots, including mail, early, Election Day and provisional ballots. Officials reconcile the number of ballots cast with the number of voters and check that every valid vote has been included.

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The process can differ between states and even between local jurisdictions.

What happens before results become official?

Many states also conduct post-election audits to verify that voting equipment and tabulation systems correctly counted votes. The timing and methodology of these audits vary by state.

Once the required counting, canvassing, audits and other procedures are complete, the appropriate election authority certifies the result.

The EAC says certification is the process through which election officials attest that the results are a true and accurate accounting of the votes cast. The authority responsible for certification varies by state and may include a secretary of state, governor, election board or local election official.

US midterm election results: Three stages to remember

In simple terms, there are three different stages to a US election result:

• Election-night results: Preliminary, unofficial vote totals released as ballots are counted.
• Media race call: A news organisation such as AP determines that the trailing candidate no longer has a path to victory.
• Official certification: State or local election authorities complete the required processes and formally certify the result.

The distinction becomes particularly important in closely contested US House and Senate races, where vote counting can continue for days after Election Day.

For control of Congress, AP determines which party has won the House only after it has declared winners in at least 218 House races. For the Senate, it counts the seats won by each party and declares control after reaching the required threshold — generally 51 seats, or 50 when the vice president is also a member of that party.

So, while television networks and news organisations may announce that a candidate has won during the hours or days after polls close, the official US election result comes only after the relevant election authorities complete the counting, canvass and certification process.