It All Starts at the Local Level
The first official step after Election Day doesn’t happen in the state capital, but in each of Virginia’s 133 counties and independent cities. The morning after the election, each locality's three-member, bipartisan electoral board convenes to begin what's known as the canvass. Think of the canvass as a detailed audit. These local officials are tasked with methodically reviewing and verifying the vote count from every precinct within their jurisdiction. Their job is to ensure the numbers from the voting machine tapes match the precinct reports and to account for every ballot cast, including early votes and mail-in ballots that arrive by the deadline. They also adjudicate provisional ballots, which are cast when a voter's eligibility is in question.
This local process is the foundation upon which the final, statewide results are built. It’s a transparent meeting, open to the public, designed to ensure accuracy from the ground up.
The Canvass: A Ten-Day Window
Local electoral boards don’t have to rush this critical task. Virginia law gives them ten days to complete their canvass. This window is crucial for several reasons. It allows time for all legally cast mail-in ballots, which must be postmarked by Election Day, to arrive and be counted. In Virginia, these ballots can be received up until noon on the third day after the election. The ten-day period also provides the necessary time for the board to research each provisional ballot to determine if the voter was eligible and if their vote should be counted. During the canvass, board members reconcile the number of voters who checked in at each precinct with the number of ballots cast, investigating any discrepancies. Once this meticulous work is complete, the local board formally certifies its local results by signing a document called an Abstract of Votes.
From the Localities to Richmond
Once a local electoral board certifies its results, its job is done for local-only races. But for congressional elections, which span multiple localities, the process moves up the chain. Each local board transmits its certified Abstract of Votes to the Virginia Department of Elections (ELECT) in Richmond. The staff at ELECT then begin their own review process. They compile the abstracts from every relevant locality and check them for accuracy and consistency. If the state officials find any discrepancies or have questions about a locality's submission, they work directly with that local electoral board to resolve the issue. This serves as another layer of verification, ensuring that the data from across the Commonwealth is clean and correct before the final step.
The Final Step: The State Board of Elections
The ultimate authority for certifying congressional and other statewide elections in Virginia is the five-member State Board of Elections. This board is composed of members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the General Assembly. By law, the board convenes on the first Monday in December following a November general election. At this public meeting, the board reviews the consolidated results compiled by the Department of Elections staff. After its final review, the board members vote to formally certify the election results for the entire state. This is the moment the election outcome becomes official. Following certification, the State Board issues a Certificate of Election to the winning candidate and, for congressional races, sends a copy to the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives.
