It typically takes weeks for counties to process and count all of the ballots. Elections officials have approximately one month to complete their extensive tallying, auditing, and certification work (known as the official canvass). Every active, registered voter was sent a vote-by-mail ballot. Vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received by the county elections official no later than seven days after the election will be processed and can be counted. In processing vote-by-mail ballots, elections officials must confirm each voter's registration status, verify each voter's signature on the vote-by-mail envelope, and ensure each person did not vote elsewhere in the same election before the ballot can be counted. Other ballots that are processed after Election Day include provisional ballots (processed similar to vote-by-mail ballots), conditional voter registration provisional ballots, and ballots that are damaged or cannot be machine-read and must be remade by elections officials. The below Unprocessed Ballots Report features unofficial county updates on the number of outstanding ballots that still need to be processed during the official canvass. This information is required to be reported by county elections officials on the second day after Election Day and an updated report is required on each day the official publicly releases updated election results.

County elections officials must report their final results to the Secretary of State by September 18, 2026. The Secretary of State has until September 25, 2026, to certify the results of the election. For the most up-to-date vote counts before the certified results are published, you may contact a county elections office directly. * This category includes unprocessed ballots that are damaged or could not be machine-read and need to be remade, and ballots diverted by optical scanners for further review. ** Individuals should contact their county elections official for up-to-date vote results and information.