Elections Defined Video Series
This series of short videos features NCSL Director of Elections and Redistricting Wendy Underhill talking about some of the key steps of election administration you may not have heard of—from ballot curing to voter list maintenance to what it means to be a poll worker, and everything in between. View the complete series.
Any retail operator knows that at the end of the day, you make a bank deposit. Later, you reconcile the books and eventually show those books to an accounting expert for sign-off that everything is in order.
The same goes for elections.
First, you count the ballots. Then, you review your work, making sure everything is accounted for. And after that, you present your work to a board or similar entity that has the power to review and confirm the results. In most states, this is a local canvassing board.
Once that board reviews and confirms the results, all associated documentation goes to a state entity. That’s when the election results are finally certified, and the newly elected officials can be sworn in.
Ready for more election administration answers? View the complete series for info on the topics below. Still have questions? More details can be found on these and other topics through NCSL’s election resources.
- Ballot Duplication.
- Ballot Collecting.
- Ballot Curing.
- Provisional Ballots.
- Pre-Processing Ballots.
- Poll workers vs. Poll Watchers.
- Post-election Audits.
- Canvassing and Certification.
- Results Reporting.
- Voter ID.
- Voter Registration List Maintenance.