The Process Starts Locally: The Canvass
The first step in making election results official happens at the local level in each of Virginia's 133 counties and cities. The day after the election, each locality's three-member electoral board convenes to begin what is known as the 'canvass'. This isn't just a simple recount; it's a meticulous review to consolidate vote totals from every precinct, verify numbers from voting machines, and account for every type of ballot cast, including early, mail-in, and Election Day votes. During this period, local officials also research and determine the validity of any provisional ballots cast. These are ballots given to voters when their eligibility is in question at the polls. Local boards have up to ten calendar days to complete this thorough review.
This decentralized start ensures that the people closest to the community are the first to verify its votes.
The Local Electoral Board Gives the First Official Stamp
Once the canvass is complete, the local electoral board officially certifies the results for its jurisdiction. These boards are bipartisan bodies whose members are appointed by a local Circuit Court judge, with two of the three members representing the political party of the current governor. Their duty to certify the results based on the vote count is considered a mandatory, non-discretionary task under Virginia law. For purely local races, like a city council or county supervisor seat, this certification is the final step, and the board's secretary issues a certificate of election to the winner. For any state or federal races, however, this local certification is just one crucial piece of a much larger puzzle. The certified local results, known as 'abstracts of votes', are then immediately sent to the state for the final phase of the process.
From the Localities to Richmond: State-Level Review
After all 133 local electoral boards have certified their results, the process moves to the Virginia Department of Elections (ELECT) in Richmond. Staff at the state level collect and meticulously review each abstract of votes submitted by the localities. Their job is to aggregate the certified totals from across the Commonwealth and prepare a comprehensive statewide result for every federal and state-level contest, from U.S. President and Congress down to the General Assembly. This aggregation ensures that every certified vote from every corner of Virginia is included in the final statewide tally. Think of it as assembling a massive jigsaw puzzle, where each locally certified result is a single piece that must fit perfectly into the larger picture.
The Final Word: The State Board of Elections Certifies
The ultimate authority for certifying statewide election results in Virginia rests with the five-member State Board of Elections. This board, whose members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the General Assembly, meets to perform the final certification. For the November general election, this crucial meeting is legally scheduled to take place on the first Monday in December. At this meeting, the board officially ascertains and declares the winners of all statewide and multi-jurisdictional races. Following this final, official certification, the board issues certificates of election to the winners, formalizing their victory and concluding the electoral process. This final step provides a single, unified, and official result for the entire Commonwealth, bringing a definitive end to the election cycle.
