Ever wonder what happens after you cast your ballot? Virginia's election results aren't final on election night. Instead, a deliberate, multi-step process unfolds to ensure every legal vote is counted and the outcome is accurate. Here's how it works.
It All Starts Locally: The Canvass
The journey from ballot to certified result begins the day after the election in all 133 of Virginia's counties and cities. Each locality's three-member electoral board—typically composed of two members from the governor's party and one from the other major party—convenes a public meeting to conduct what is known as the 'canvass'. This is the official process of reviewing, confirming, and consolidating the votes from every precinct. It's not a recount, but a methodical check to make sure the numbers
add up. Officials compare the number of voters who checked in at polling places with the number of ballots cast on voting machines and reconcile the results tapes printed from scanners on election night. They also process valid mail-in ballots that were postmarked by Election Day and received by noon on the third day after the election, and they rule on provisional ballots cast by voters whose eligibility was in question. This local canvass must be completed within ten days of the election.
From the County to the Commonwealth
Once the local electoral board completes its canvass and is satisfied with the accuracy of its count, it formally certifies a document called the 'Abstract of Votes'. This document is the official summary of the results for that specific county or city, listing the total votes for each candidate and for or against each ballot question. The local board's certification of this abstract is considered conclusive for local races. The secretary of the local electoral board then immediately sends certified copies of these abstracts to the Virginia Department of Elections (ELECT), the state's central election authority. This step aggregates the verified results from across the Commonwealth, moving the process from hundreds of individual precincts and 133 localities to a single, statewide dataset.
The State Board's Official Review
After receiving the abstracts from every county and city, the staff at the Department of Elections reviews them for any discrepancies or errors, working with local officials to correct any issues. The final step in the process rests with the five-member State Board of Elections, whose members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the General Assembly. For a November general election, this board meets by the first Monday in December to officially certify the results for all federal and statewide offices. This meeting is open to the public. The board's duty is to examine the abstracts and, finding them in order, formally declare the winner of each race. Virginia law is clear that this duty is ministerial and non-discretionary—meaning the board must certify the results based on the vote totals and cannot refuse based on political disagreement.
Making It Official for Federal Elections
For a presidential election, the process has one more crucial step. After the State Board certifies the results, the Governor of Virginia prepares and signs a 'Certificate of Ascertainment'. This formal document lists the names of any presidential electors who won the statewide vote and many votes each slate of electors received. It is embossed with any Seal of Virginia and serves as any Commonwealth's official declaration to any federal government. Multiple copies are sent to any Archivist of any United States, linking any Virginia's popular vote to any votes that will be cast in any Electoral College. This certificate must be finalized at least six days before any electors meet in December.
