You voted and encouraged your community to do the same. The ballots are in. Now what happens?
The most important thing to remember is that the numbers you see on election night are unofficial results. Reviewing ballots and completing the official tally continues after Election Day. In Georgia, counties certify their results the Monday after the election, and the state follows later in the month.
Here are some key election results dates:
Nov. 3: Election Day – Election results are unofficial.
Nov. 6: Deadline for provisional voters to provide any required documentation. This is also the deadline for eligible military and overseas ballots to arrive, provided they were postmarked by Election Day.
Nov. 9: Counties must certify their results and send them to the Secretary of State.
Nov. 13, 16, and 17: Georgia is doing 20 risk-limiting audits this cycle, not one selected race. The audit begins on Nov. 13 and the deadline to complete the audit is Nov. 17. The audit must be completed before final state certification on Nov. 20.
Nov. 20: Deadline for the Secretary of State to certify federal and statewide results.
It Takes Time to Count all the Ballots
Georgia election workers and officials have a process for finishing the count, accounting for ballots like yours, making results official, and auditing the totals. Some steps overlap, and the work continues long after election night. Here’s how your ballot fits into that process. You can follow the key dates above, and on our Georgia Matters Timeline.
Your ballot may already be included in the election night results. But some ballots need more review before they can be counted. Others, including certain military and overseas ballots, can arrive after Election Day and still qualify.
Advance / Mail-in Ballots
Advance / mail-in ballots go through a verification process first by officials who may verify the voter’s ID number and date of birth to confirm the oath is signed. Counties may begin processing absentee ballots as early as 8 a.m. on the third Monday before election day, or October 19.
In Georgia, election officials do not perform signature matching on returned absentee ballots under the current procedure. Instead, when processing a returned absentee ballot, officials verify:
Voter’s oath signature: The confirm the voter signed the oath on the outside return envelope.
Driver’s license of Georgia ID number: The compare the number entered on the envelope with the voter’s registration record.
Date of birth: They compare the date of birth on the envelope with the registration record.
Alternative identification: If the voter does not have a Georgia driver’s license or state ID, officials check the last four digits of the Social Security number and date of birth. The election official then signs or initials below the voter’s oath to certify acceptance if the requirements are met.
Absentee ballots can’t be counted before 7 a.m. on Election Day, and no results can be released until polls close at 7 p.m. Counties must report early voting and absentee results by 8 p.m. on election night.
Tallying is the act of counting and recording items or votes as they occur.
Tabulation is the systematic process of placing and organizing that counted data into structured rows and columns (a table).
Early Voting
If you cast your ballot during early voting, your vote can be counted beginning at 7 a.m. on Election Day.
The Canvass is Critical
Your local county canvass takes place within one week of the midterm election, or November 9. County returns must be certified no later than 5 p.m. on the Monday after the election.
State canvassing: In Georgia, the Secretary of State must certify and canvass results by 5 p.m. on the 17th day after the election.
Recounts Do Happen
In Georgia, a recount does not automatically create a runoff election. A recount can change the vote totals, and in some circumstances, decide whether a runoff is necessary.
In precincts where paper ballots or scanning ballots have been used, the superintendent may order the recount of all the ballots for a particular precinct or precincts if it appears that a discrepancy or error may have occurred.
In precincts where voting machines have been used, the superintendent can order a recanvass of the votes shown on that particular machine or machines.
In Georgia, a candidate can request a recount when the difference between their vote total and their opponent’s vote total is 0.5% or less of the total votes cast for their office. The candidate has two business days after certification of election results to submit a written recount request. The request must:
Be made in writing
Be submitted to the appropriate election authority
Important: The 0.5% threshold is a condition for requesting a recount. It does not trigger a runoff. A runoff is determined by the majority-vote requirement.
A recount can affect a runoff in two ways:
It can change who advances. If the recount changes the vote totals enough to change the top two candidates, it can change who qualifies for the runoff.
It can determine whether a runoff is necessary. If the corrected vote totals reveal that one candidate received the majority of votes, a runoff election would be deemed unnecessary.
Mandatory Recounts
Under the new law, a manual recount is required when:
The race is a qualifying statewide executive-office contest.
The contest appears first or second on the ballot.
The difference between the leading candidate and the next candidate is 0.5% or less of the total votes cast.
This is an automatic requirement; a candidate does not need to request the recount. The automatic hand recount only applies when one of the listed offices is first or second on the ballot AND the margin is 0.5% or less. This year, that’s Governor and Lieutenant Governor.
The following represent qualifying offices:
Governor
Lieutenant Governor
Secretary of State
Attorney General
State School Superintendent
Commissioner of Agriculture
Commissioner of Insurance
Commissioner of Labor
The first- or second-position requirement on the ballot also applies.
The Secretary of State must order the manual recount no later than two business days following the certification deadline. All counties must conduct the recount and complete it within 17 days of the order to qualify for state reimbursement.
The State of Georgia reimburses counties for reasonable recount expenses, provided the county completes the recount within the 17-day reimbursement deadline.
The new mandatory recount provision applies to the specified statewide executive contests, not federal races such as:
President
U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
Runoff Elections Give You a Chance to Vote Again
In Georgia, runoff elections are required for all congressional, state executive, and state legislative elections in which a candidate does not receive a majority in the general election. All voters who registered by the deadline to vote in Georgia can vote in federal, state, and local runoff elections. Check your voter registration. Note: The registration deadline for a federal runoff occurred on Nov. 2.
The top two finishers in the general election advance to the runoff. Unless otherwise postponed by a court order, the runoff is held on the 28th day after the preceding general election.
Runoff Dates
October 5 – Registration deadline
November 2 – Federal registration deadline
November 20 – Last day to request an absentee-by-mail ballot for the December runoff
November 23-25 – Early voting, as soon as possible, but no later than Nov. 23-25
December 1 – General Election / Special election runoff date
Important reminder: Even if you didn’t vote in the midterm election, you are still eligible to vote in the runoff. The Georgia Secretary of State’s office strongly urges voters to exercise their voting rights during runoff elections.
Need Help?
If you run into a problem or have a question, call or text the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline:
English: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
Spanish/English: 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682)
Asian languages/English: 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683)
You can also reach the Georgia Secretary of State’s Elections Division at 404-656-2871.