How the Post-Election Tally Works

In Virginia, election results are not complete on Election Day. There's still a chance for a relatively small number of additional ballots to be validated and added to the vote totals. Starting in 2024, provisional ballots must be counted by the 10th day after the election, normally the Friday of the week following a Tuesday election. Prior to 2024, this process normally concluded the Friday after the election, unless Friday fell on a holiday, in which case the process was moved to the Monday following the election.

Below are the two types of ballots that are normally counted after election day:

1. Ballots received in the mail by noon the Friday after the election

State law allows mail ballots postmarked on or before Election Day to be considered if the post office delivers them by noon on the Friday after election day or, if that is a holiday, on the following Monday. In addition to a legible postmark, each ballot must meet the same requirements for mail ballots that were received on or before Election Day.

This tally may also include ballots which were left in a drop box on Election Day but were not processed and tabulated that evening.

2. Provisional Ballots

Voters whose eligibility could not be confirmed at the polling location on Election Day have the right to cast a provisional ballot. This preserves the voter's right to confirm his or her eligibility to vote over the next few days. Circumstances that result in provisional ballots include:

• "Same-day registration" voters who wait until the last minute to apply to vote
• The voter's name is not listed in the poll book.
• The voter had been mailed an absentee ballot but did not bring it to the polls.
• The voter provides no acceptable form of ID and refuses to sign an ID confirmation statement.

Recent elections where post-Election ballots changed the outcome

November 2022