How election counts reach this site

Where the numbers come from

For 16 states, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia and Washington, the count comes straight from the state election office's own results feed. Every count names that office and links to it.

For every other state, the District of Columbia and the territories, the results page links to the official results site. Election.org does not copy counts from news organizations.

How often it updates

The site checks each connected state's feed every 5 minutes. Once a state marks every contest certified, it checks once a day. Every count shows the time the state published it, not the time we checked.

Race, state and candidate pages refresh their copy of the count at least once an hour. Each state's live results page shows the newest check.

Unofficial until certified

Counts after Election Day are unofficial. Officials are still adding mail, provisional and overseas ballots and checking the totals in the canvass. Counties then certify their results, and a state official or board certifies the statewide result. Only certification makes a result final.

Each connected state's page lists its own dates under “What happens next”, with the source for each one.

Why the site does not call races

A count is not a result. Ballots are still being added and checked, a close race may be recounted, and some ballot questions need more than half the vote. Election.org shows the count and who is ahead in it. It says who was elected, or that a measure passed, only after the state certifies the result.

If a number looks wrong

Check the state's own results site, which every count links to. If our copy differs from it, tell us and we will correct it.