VOPP: Table 17: How Election Results Are Reported

4/17/2020

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NCSL's Elections Team

Our organization does not run elections and cannot provide legal advice. If you are a voter looking for assistance, please contact your local election official. You can find your local election official's website and contact information by using this database from the US Vote Foundation.

This table is part of NCSL’s Voting Outside the Polling Place report.

In most states, election results are reported by precinct, though some states have different requirements. This table includes how absentee ballots are reported, including whether they are reported within or separate from precinct totals.

State How Results Are Reported

Alabama

Code of Ala. §17-11-10		 By precinct. Absentee ballots are delivered to precinct polling places where they are counted and otherwise handled as if the voter were present and voting in person.

Alaska

Alaska Stat. §15.20.201		 By election district.

Arizona

Ariz. Stat. §16-622		 By precinct.

Arkansas

A.C.A. § 7-5-416

 By precinct.

California

West's Ann. Cal. Elec. Code §15373		 By precinct. 

Colorado

Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 1-7-601		 By precinct.

Connecticut

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 9-150a, §9-147a		 By voting district.

Delaware

15 Del. C. § 5510		 By district, with absentee ballots reported separately.

District of Columbia

D.C. Mun. Regs. Tit. 3, § 808		 By precinct.

Florida

West's F.S.A. § 101.68, §98.0981		 By precinct.

Georgia

O.C.G.A. § 21-2-386		 By precinct.

Hawaii

HRS § 15-9, §11-152		 By precinct.

Idaho

Idaho Code § 34-1007		 By precinct.

Illinois

10 ILCS 5/19-8		 By precinct.

Indiana

IC 3-11.5-7-1		 By precinct.

Iowa

Iowa Code §53.23		 Each county establishes a special “absentee ballot and special voters precinct.” Results from the special precinct are reported separately. For general elections, results are also reported by the resident precinct of voters. For all other elections, absentee results may be reported as a single precinct.

Kansas

K.S.A. § 25-1134		 By precinct.

Kentucky

KRS § 117.087		 By precinct.

Louisiana

LSA-R.S. 18:573		 Absentee and early voting votes are reported separately from precinct totals.

Maine

21-A M.R.S.A. § 759		 By precinct, with military and overseas results counted centrally and reported separately.

Maryland

MD Code, Election Law, § 11-302		 By district, with absentee ballots reported separately.

Massachusetts

M.G.L.A. 54 § 33H		 By precinct.

Michigan

MCLS §168.765 et seq.		 By precinct.

Minnesota

M.S.A. §203B.121		 In state primary and general elections absentee vote totals are added to the returns for the appropriate precinct. For other elections, vote totals may be added to the precinct or reported as a separate total.

Mississippi

Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-

603		 By precinct.

Missouri

V.A.M.S. 115.507		 Absentee votes are reported separately, except where such reporting would disclose how any single voter cast his or her vote.

Montana

Mont. Code Anno. § 13-15-404		 By precinct.

Nebraska

Neb. Rev. Stat. §32-1036		 By precinct.

Nevada

Nev. Stat. §293.325, §293.333		 By precinct. The returns of absent ballots must be reported separately from the regular votes of the precinct, unless reporting the returns separately would violate the secrecy of a voter's ballot.

New Hampshire

N.H. Rev. Stat. § 659:49		 Absentee ballots are reported separately, by precinct.

New Jersey

 Not specified.

New Mexico

 Not specified.

New York

McKinney's Election Law § 9-209		 By election district.

North Carolina

N.C.G.S.A. § 163A-1315		 By precinct, with absentee ballots reported separately.

North Dakota

NDCC 16.1-07-12.1		 An absentee ballot precinct is established for counting all absentee ballots in the county.

Ohio

Ohio Rev. Code § 3509.06		 By precinct.

Oklahoma

26 Okl. St. Ann. § 7-136		 By precinct.

Oregon

O.R.S. § 254.485		 By precinct.

Pennsylvania

25 P.S. § 3146.8		 Absentee ballots are distributed to the voter’s election district, counted there and included with the district returns.

Rhode Island

R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-26		 Absentee ballots are counted centrally but reported by election district.

South Carolina

S.C. Code § 7-15-420

 An absentee voting precinct is established in each county.

South Dakota

SDCL § 12-19-37, ARSD 5:02:14:04

 Each county establishes an absentee ballot precinct and absentee ballots are counted in that precinct, unless a paper ballot precinct has 10 or fewer absentee ballots cast at the time the polls open on Election Day, in which case absentee ballots in that precinct are counted at the polling place. Tally sheets include a space for results by precinct.

Tennessee

Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-6-304		 By precinct.

Texas

V.T.C.A., Election Code §67.017

 By precinct. The results report includes the number of voters that voted early in-person and absentee in each precinct.

Utah

U.C.A. § 20A-3-309		 By precinct. Absentee votes are added to the official return of each voting precinct.

Vermont

17 V.S.A. § 2546a		 Not specified.

Virginia

VA Code Ann.

§ 24.2-712

 Each county or city may establish one or more central absentee voter precincts.

Washington

West's RCWA

29A.60.070

 Counties must produce cumulative and precinct returns.

West Virginia

W. Va. Code, § 3-3-8		 By precinct. Absentee ballots are delivered to polling places to be counted.

Wisconsin

W.S.A. 6.88, 7.52		 By ward (similar to a precinct elsewhere).

Wyoming

W.S § 22-9-118, § 22-16-103		 Absentee ballots are delivered to polling places for counting unless the county adopts an alternate procedure to count them centrally. The number of electors voting in person and by absentee ballot by precinct at the election is reported.