Announcing election results is a critical part of the electoral process. They determine winners of electoral contests and serve as the basis for allocating seats in many electoral systems. They also influence voters’ perceptions of electoral integrity.
News outlets begin reporting unofficial results soon after polls close, but they are not official until the votes have been canvassed and certified, a process that can take days or weeks. Gaps in information during this time can be filled with speculation, rumoring and preemptive claims of victory, potentially undermining trust in the electoral process.
In order to increase transparency and accountability, it is important that all ballots are counted correctly and fully. This includes counting mail and military ballots, recounting spoiled or invalid votes and checking that all votes are counted correctly before certifying the results. In addition, the full results must be published at the level at which they are compiled (e.g. ward, district, regional/provincial and national results tabulation centers) in order to ensure that the entire process is transparent.
News media report results in real time by tracking progress at local counting locations and from sources like government websites. It is normal for there to be small differences in the reports from different news outlets. This is because each outlet allocates resources differently and may receive updates from some places faster or slower than others. However, these differences do not reflect inconsistencies in the actual counting process. In addition, a number of outlets publish forecasts for individual races based on their own statistical models and these are independent of the actual voting data.