As voters go to the polls on Election Day, and ballots are counted during and afterward, election results are compiled and reported. Local election officials report unofficial results to the public on Election Night and state elections offices aggregate data to report unofficial results for State and Federal elections (including the President). Once every valid vote has been counted and all required processes have been completed, results are certified.
It takes days – and weeks in close races – to finalize state and federal election results. That’s because the initial counts don’t always look like final results – it’s normal to have a discrepancy between early returns and the official, certified results.
Depending on how close the race is, there might be a recount. Recount rules differ from state to state, but in general they include a re-examination of all ballots and a comparison of the original count with the official result.
The most common measure of electoral success is the number of seats won by a candidate or party. This is known as a majority, and it determines the size of a political body and its ability to pass new legislation. The percentage of votes that a candidate receives can also be important. For example, some countries have a threshold of electoral votes that has to be crossed for a political party to become part of the government. This is called a threshold, and it helps prevent minority parties from becoming a dominant force in the government.
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