6 Facts to Remember While Watching Election Day Coverage

(For those of us who haven’t taken a U.S. civics class recently)

With Election Day right around the corner, we put together a few helpful reminders to get you and your team through the last leg of Election 2020.

The U.S. votes for president by an electoral college

Rather than voting directly for president on November 3rd, each state will in fact be voting for electors. Elector numbers are determined by the number of senators plus the number of representatives each state has (with 3 assigned to Washington, D.C.) Combined, these 538 electors make up the electoral college. In order to win the election, a candidate must have a majority of electors (270+) vote for them. The rules for choosing and distributing electors vary from state to state, but the two major parties set the terms.

Electors vote on behalf of their state

In all but two states — Maine and Nebraska — the electors are instructed to vote for the candidate who had the most popular votes statewide. However, there are only 32 states where this is actually state law, meaning that there are chances (although historically rare) for an individual elector to vote in a different direction. In a July 2020 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that state legislatures can require electors to back the victor of their state’s popular vote.

There has never been a final decision for an election on election night

Strange as it may sound, electoral college votes are never finalized on Election Day itself. Our system has a built-in period of time to resolve any “controversy or contest” within an individual state. Electors’ votes are not formally taken until December 14th, then delivered to the vice president by December 23rd. The newly elected Congress does not even open the electors’ ballots until January 6th, at which point a president is officially elected.

Mail-in ballots may be counted days or even weeks after Election Day

With the large number of mail-in ballots being cast this year due to COVID-19 risks, the timeline for mail-in voting by state will also play a role in knowing the results on election night. In 23 states, ballots with a valid postmark received after Election Day must be counted if received within a given timeframe. The dates vary by state, with Illinois and Michigan allowing up to 14 days, and California allowing up to 17 days after the election. This means that the time period between Election Day (Nov 3rd) and the day electors cast their votes (Dec 14th) will likely be more active as ballots continue to come in and may affect the final tally.

Mail-in voting has historically been secure

Over the past 20 years, more than 250 million ballots have been cast by mail in the United States. Out of this number, there have only been 143 criminal convictions of election fraud related to main-in ballots. Those numbers lead to a fraud rate of 0.00006%, making the risk of voter fraud extraordinarily low.

If you’re in line before the polls close, you can still vote

We have seen record-breaking early voting this year, but also record-breaking lines and wait times to submit a ballot. The law states that if a person has entered the line to vote before the polls close, they will still be able to vote, no matter how long it takes them to get to the front of the line. Voters are highly encouraged to stay in line until they have voted, but this may lead to later tallying of results in certain counties.

Despite the many challenges of 2020, this remains an election like any other. In fact, most voters have more options than ever for how and when they cast their vote. We encourage every American to cast their ballot and be prepared for some uncertainty as we wait for all the votes to be counted.

Remember, there’s a process (imperfect as it is) in place to determine the outcome of the 2020 election. It is possible that early returns will look different from the final outcome. This is normal — the only count that matters is the official one. Democracy is worth the wait.