How Are Votes Counted in the 2026 US Midterms? From First Returns to Official Certification
The 2026 US midterm elections are being held on November 3, but the close of polling places does not mean that every winner will be known that night. Elections are administered by state and local authorities, and rules differ for early voting, mail ballots, provisional ballots, signature corrections and certification. Initial figures generally appear after polling places close. Contests that are close may take hours, days or longer to resolve. The US Election Assistance Commission (EAC) emphasizes that figures released on election night are preliminary. Even a results page showing every precinct reporting does not mean that the outcome is official.
Voters may cast ballots in person during an early-voting period, at a polling place on Election Day, or by mail. Local election workers receive ballots, check voter eligibility and determine whether each ballot meets applicable requirements. Paper ballots are then tabulated, often using machines. The Guardian reports that machine counts may be supplemented by partial hand counts and audits. Results are commonly uploaded in batches rather than held until every ballot has been processed.
The treatment of mail ballots is particularly dependent on state law. Some states accept ballots that arrive after Election Day if they were postmarked by the deadline. Other states require ballots to be received by Election Day. A voter whose mail-ballot signature needs verification or additional information may have an opportunity to correct the problem within a state-set period. Those ballots can be among the last to be included in reported totals.
There is no single national timetable for counting ballots. CBS News reports that Pennsylvania and Wisconsin do not allow election officials to begin processing mail ballots until the morning of Election Day. As a result, ballots that have already arrived may not be reflected in the first results released after polls close. States that permit earlier processing may be able to report those ballots sooner.
Al Jazeera identifies California, Alaska, Nevada and Washington among the states where final results may take longer. California relies heavily on mail voting, and some ballots still need to be received and verified after Election Day. Nevada allows certain mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive during the following days and provides a period for voters to correct signature problems. Alaska and Maine use ranked-choice voting. If no candidate receives a majority in the initial count, additional rounds may be needed. Alaska's next ranked-choice tabulation is scheduled for November 18.
These differences mean that a slower count is not necessarily evidence of an administrative problem. The number of ballots still outstanding, the size of the electorate, the closeness of a contest and the state's procedures all affect when the picture becomes clear.
News organizations analyze unofficial returns to determine whether a trailing candidate can still catch the apparent leader. Reuters reports that major outlets do not all use the same method. The Associated Press gathers county-level results through local reporters and estimates how many votes remain outstanding. Some television networks combine AP vote totals with exit polls, early-voting information and their own statistical models before projecting a winner. Reuters also reports that Decision Desk HQ gathers figures from official state sources and subjects its projections to internal review.
The AP cautions that its estimate of the percentage of expected votes counted is not a fixed official figure. It can change as turnout estimates are refined and new returns arrive. A report that 99% of precincts have reported also does not necessarily mean that 99% of ballots have been counted. In some jurisdictions, early votes may be grouped under a single precinct, or a precinct may initially report only part of its total. Additional ballots can therefore be added even when the precinct-reporting percentage looks nearly complete.
A media organization calling a race is making a projection based on the information available to its decision desk. That projection does not stop election officials from counting every eligible ballot. Nor does it replace the official process by which election authorities certify the result.
After eligible ballots have been processed, local authorities conduct a canvass. This involves reconciling the number of voters with the ballots cast and checking that reported totals are complete and consistent. States may also conduct audits or other reviews before certifying the result. The EAC says this process can take several days and sometimes weeks.
A very narrow margin may trigger an automatic recount under state law, or a candidate may be able to request one under specified conditions. A recount is different from an audit: it involves counting ballots again and can change the official tally. The rules and deadlines vary by jurisdiction.
For these reasons, the candidate who leads in early returns may lose that lead as outstanding ballots are added. A changing margin, by itself, is not proof of fraud. Likewise, a media projection should not be confused with a certified result. Voters seeking the final outcome should look to the relevant state and local election authorities, which are responsible for completing the canvass and issuing official certification.