As polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day, early voting totals are posted by election officials in Texas. This provides the first glimpse of results to Texans, but the final outcome may take longer to determine. Election officials in large counties such as Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, and Collin have a lengthy process to ensure accurate vote counting.
The counting of Election Day ballots in large counties can be slow due to the coordination required from hundreds of voting locations. Election workers often work past midnight to meet the state’s 24-hour deadline. The process of securely transporting, counting, and verifying tens of thousands of ballots takes time due to various checks and balances.
In smaller counties, meeting the requirements for counting ballots can be less complicated and faster. The process of reporting results in some of Texas’ largest counties begins shortly after 7 p.m. on Election Day. This includes early-voting ballots and mail-in ballots received up to that point. Early voting typically accounts for a significant percentage of results, as most Texans vote early.
Results from Election Day voting may be delayed if polling places have people waiting in line at closing time. By law, these voters must be given the opportunity to cast their ballots. Once all ballots are cast, polling location supervisors have security measures to follow before transporting the ballots back to the county’s central counting station.
Counties have designated substations for election workers in large counties to drop off materials and speed up the vote counting process. Once all materials are turned in, election administrators review and verify the information from each polling site. Results from polling locations are then submitted to the state for review and entry into the statewide election management system.
Election night results are considered unofficial because counties still need to account for late-arriving mail-in ballots, military or overseas voters’ ballots, and provisional ballots. The deadline for counting these various types of ballots is Nov. 18. Once all eligible ballots are counted, the county commissioners court conducts a local canvass to finalize the tally of votes by Nov. 19.
A statewide canvass is conducted where the governor certifies the results with the secretary of state as a witness by Dec. 9. At this point, the statewide results become official and final. This process ensures the accuracy and integrity of the election results in Texas.
