After the Polls Close

We've compiled a list of our resources explaining processes and policies after polls close on Election Day; find them all collected for quick reference here.

This report summarizes the grounds for legal challenges to votes and for recounts in the battleground states.  States differ in who, when, and why votes can be challenged.  This report focuses on grounds for disqualifying absentee ballots, given that such challenges have been most salient in 2020.  For each state, the report also examines the relevant litigation surrounding state recount laws and specifies how states and candidates can order a recount of the vote.

Final Report / March 10, 2021
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When voters drop their absentee ballots in a mailbox, or feed their completed ballot into a ballot box at a polling place, their act of voting is over. But for election officials, the process has a long way to go. This report explains how and when six battleground states count ballots and report results, starting with the processing of mail-in ballots and following through the tabulation of results, election night reporting, and final certification of election results.

Memo / October 30, 2020
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This spreadsheet outlines key dates, deadlines, and important voter information - including, but not limited to, the processing, verification and tabulation of ballots, as well as the canvassing and certification of elections --  from all 50 states and D.C. Users may filter or sort by state or any other column heading if they so choose. The spreadsheet is live and will be updated as rulings impact election timelines.

Resources / October 30, 2020
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Because of the anticipated increase in mail-in ballots in 2020, and the associated risk of an increase in the number of rejected ballots, signature verification rules and practices have come under renewed scrutiny ahead of the November election. This report examines the current signature verification landscape across the United States, with a particular emphasis on the battleground states of Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Final Report / March 10, 2021
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Confronted with likely delays in counting an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots, close vote counts in key battleground states, the prospect of allegations of election fraud, and an intensely  polarized political climate, the United States faces the possibility of highly contested election results on and after November 3. This paper explores some unlikely but conceivable scenarios that could emerge.

Memo / October 27, 2020
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