Why and how AP counts the vote for thousands of US elections

WASHINGTON (AP) — There isn’t an easier measurement to count votes than to count nan votes.

The Associated Press has been tallying results successful national, authorities and section elections since 1848. In wide terms, nan process is nan aforesaid coming arsenic it was then: Vote count reporters cod predetermination results astatine a section level arsenic soon arsenic polls close, past taxable those results for nan AP to collate, verify and report.

This year, AP will count nan votes successful astir 5,000 contested races astir nan United States, from nan presidency and Congress to authorities legislatures and ballot measures.

The U.S. doesn’t person a nationwide assemblage that collects and releases predetermination results. Elections are administered locally, by thousands of offices, pursuing standards group by nan states. In galore cases, nan states themselves don’t moreover connection up-to-date search of predetermination results.

The AP plays a domiciled successful collecting and standardizing nan results.

The AP’s ballot count fills a spread by bringing together accusation that different mightiness not beryllium disposable online for days aliases weeks aft an predetermination aliases is scattered crossed hundreds of section websites. Without nationalist standards aliases accordant expectations crossed states, it besides ensures nan information is successful a modular format, uses modular position and undergoes rigorous value control.

Data postulation efforts statesman erstwhile Americans commencement voting, which successful almost each title intends good earlier Nov. 5 this year.

The AP requests accusation from authorities and section predetermination administrators astir nan number of absentee ballots requested and nan number of early votes formed arsenic soon arsenic voting begins. (You tin way those numbers here.) These figures don’t incorporate results, which aren’t released until aft polls close, but they tin supply valuable insights into nan group who person voted by Election Day.

The large effort originates erstwhile polls close, erstwhile astir 4,000 AP ballot count reporters instrumentality retired crossed voting precincts and region predetermination offices. An AP ballot count newsman will beryllium stationed astatine astir each region predetermination agency connected Election Day, arsenic good arsenic successful cardinal cities and towns, collecting information consecutive from nan source.

Many ballot count reporters person a important magnitude of acquisition collecting meticulous ballot count accusation for nan AP. In nan astir caller wide election, astir half of them had worked for nan AP for astatine slightest 10 years. Hundreds much person acquisition collecting ballot count information successful superior and wide elections.

They activity pinch section predetermination officials to cod results straight from counties aliases precincts wherever they are first counted and collected and taxable them, by telephone aliases electronically, arsenic soon arsenic they’re available. The results are transmitted to nan AP’s ballot introduction center, which employs an further 800 to 900 people.

Because galore states and counties show predetermination results connected websites, nan AP monitors those sites and enters nan results into nan aforesaid system. The ballot introduction halfway besides takes successful feeds of results straight from predetermination officials wherever they are provided, and uses automated devices to cod results from charismatic authorities websites.

In galore cases, counties will study much votes arsenic they count ballots passim nan night. The AP is continuously updating its count arsenic these results are released. In a wide election, nan AP will make arsenic galore arsenic 21,000 title updates per hour.

Mistakes tin happen, specified arsenic trial information accidentally getting published connected a state’s website aliases a stringer accidentally transposing 2 candidates’ ballot totals. Having aggregate sources helps nan AP fig retired wherever these mistakes hap and often prevents them from getting published.

Sometimes counting errors request to beryllium corrected, specified arsenic erstwhile a region has made a correction to its information aliases personification accidentally entered an other zero. In immoderate cases, that tin lead to a driblet successful nan full number of votes counted erstwhile nan problem is identified and fixed.

This is why it helps to person aggregate sources of updates.

On wide predetermination nights, nan AP tin person up to 5 aliases six imaginable sources of predetermination results successful each region and tin take betwixt them depending connected which is astir up-to-date and accurate. Those aggregate sources don’t conscionable service arsenic a backup to each other; they besides supply a cheque to thief guarantee nan ballot totals reported are correct.

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Read much astir really U.S. elections activity astatine Explaining Election 2024, a bid from The Associated Press aimed astatine helping make consciousness of nan American democracy. The AP receives support from respective backstage foundations to heighten its explanatory sum of elections and democracy. See much astir AP’s populist inaugural here. The AP is solely responsible for each content.