When results from the polls are finally announced on election night, many citizens may feel a mix of emotions. If they’re disappointed in the outcome, they may also feel a sense of injustice. But if they’re happy, they might feel pride. The reasons for these mixed feelings are likely complex. The heightened stakes of this election have brought out the best and worst in people, as they reflect on their values, communities and hopes for the future.
Research suggests that people’s expectations of the outcome of an election are influenced by partisan biases (Anderson et al. 2005; Henderson 2008). In the 2012-2020 ANES surveys, respondents were asked how often they felt that their vote was counted fairly. Possible answers included “very often,” “fairly often,” “about half the time,” or “some of the time.”
Unofficial election results are posted on this website as a public service, but they are not final. By law, New York requires a complete recanvass of all ballots cast in Early Voting, on Election Day and in the mail, as well as a canvass of all verified provisional and affidavit ballots before any election results can be certified.
The canvass process is how election officials ensure that all votes are counted accurately. The process can take days, or even weeks to finish. There are different ways a recount can be conducted, including by hand or by machine, and each state’s procedures may differ. The official results are not declared until all ballots have been counted and any clerical errors have been corrected.