While Virginia will likely have the unofficial results for many races the night of Election Day, it will take about a month for local and state officials to certify the election.
Virginia should know the unofficial results of many races on the night of Election Day, but official certification of the results takes more time.
At the national level, some states might be too close to call for Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump, and it may take more time to process the results of those races.
Here in Virginia, where Harris has a strong lead in the polls, the unofficial results of the presidential race will likely be known the night of Election Day.
One wrinkle to this is an unusual legal battle in Waynesboro based on the conspiracy theory that electronic voting machines are not reliable. For now, it’s not clear what impact the lawsuit will have on Election Day.
After Election Day in Virginia, local election officials review, confirm, and record the official local results of their elections in a process called a “canvass.” During this time, localities count any mailed ballots that were postmarked by Election Day and arrive before noon on Nov. 8. Localities also go through provisional ballots to determine if they should be counted.
Virginia localities will certify their results by Nov. 15, which is a change from previous years. A law that went into effect this year extended the post-Election Day vote counting process from one week following Election Day to 10 days.
The results certified by Virginia’s localities are then reviewed by the Virginia Department of Elections for accuracy. The State Board of Elections will certify the results on Dec. 2 during a public board meeting.
