What happens to your ballot after you vote?

When you vote, you run the paper ballot through the optical scanner.

Voter entering ballot into scanner. Poll worker reading results from scanner.

After the polls close at 7 p.m., election officials close the scanner and print out a tape showing the results.

Note: Representatives from each political party and independent candidate may be present at all times to observe the conduct of the election.

An election official at the polling place relays the result to the local general registrar’s office.

Poll worker calls the registrar's office to relay results.

Note: In order to prevent hacking, ballot scanners are NOT connected to the internet or any computer network.

In the central office, a staff member types results from each precinct into the computer system maintained by the state Department of Elections. The results of your precinct appear online.

Staff member enters results on a computer. Voter views election results on VPAP.org.

All the ballots and machine tapes are brought to the central office, where they are secured. Later, the tapes are used to validate the results reported on election night.

Boxes of ballots in storage cabinet with lock.

If a recount is necessary, ballots will be run through scanners and tabulated a second time.

Source: Virginia Department of Elections

Nov. 7, 2022