Student Mock Election Dashboard | WA Secretary of State

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Do you ever wonder what happens after Election Day? Like, how do you get results? How do we make sure ballots are being counted correctly? When are the results official? There's a LOT happening, and you can even watch part of it in real life!

When can we start to see election results?

After 8 pm on Election Day, and not before. Unofficial results get posted to the Secretary of State's website on Election Day and are updated until results are certified.

Are ballots still coming in after Election Day?

Yes! As long as they are postmarked by 8 pm on Election Day, ballots will still be accepted.

Signature curing? What's that?

Your signature is important. Trained election officials compare your signed envelope to your voter registration record. If you check your signature now, does it match the signature on your license, ID, or permit, or the one you used to sign your Voter Registration form?

If the signatures don't match, election officials will contact you to update, or "cure", your signature so they do match. This can happen anytime between when you return your ballot and certification.

How can you be sure ballots are being counted correctly?

Counties use a process called an audit to make sure that our voting systems are working correctly. There are two main types of voting system audits being used after an election in the state: random batch audits, where random batches of ballots are counted by hand and compared to the voting systems, and risk-limiting audits, which use statistics to make sure the winner truly won.

*You can watch both of these audits. Contact your county elections office for more information.

But there's one more type of audit all counties use--reconciliation. This type uses a report which compares records to check that figures are consistent, accurate, and complete.