In order for democracy to work, it must be possible for citizens to accept the outcome of elections as legitimate. That is why it’s so important to have trustworthy information about election results. Whether you are a voter who loses an election or supports the winner, knowing how votes are counted can help alleviate concerns about the fairness of America’s electoral process.
The rioting that occurred in and after the 2020 American presidential election, fueled by claims that the election was stolen from Donald Trump, is a stark reminder of democracy’s reliance on voters’ willingness to accept the results of an election as legitimate. However, research shows that the fact that a result is unexpected does not automatically lead to increased suspicions of electoral fraud (Delavande and Manski 2012; Salzer and Kiley 2020).
Nevertheless, in light of these concerns, it’s important for election officials to communicate clearly about their processes for verifying and reporting on election results. The following table describes the typical steps that election officials must complete before final, official results are certified.
Note: Results for state delegations that Jefferson won are colored green, while those won by Burr are color coded red. Click on any year to see more detail, including ballots counted, voters’ pamphlets, and other data.
A national survey conducted in conjunction with this report asked Americans to answer the question, “How often do you think that in your country’s elections, votes are counted fairly?” Respondents could choose from five options: always or usually, most of the time, occasionally, not at all often or never. These data are based on the American Trends Panel, a probability sample of some 10,000 voting-eligible adults who take two to three surveys per month online or by telephone.