Timeline for Vote Counting and Certification

The below is a timeline of important administrative steps at the county and state levels to ensure the timely and accurate certification of election results.

For more information about the vote counting and certification processes and personal, please read our Pennsylvania Report, updated in February 2023.

Before Election Day

• District Election Boards sort and categorize unopened returned mail ballots. Only ballots that are signed and dated are included in the pre-canvass and canvass meetings. 25 P.S. § 3146.8.
  • Note that when a sitting county commissioner is a candidate in an election they oversee as part of the county board of elections, the President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas appoints a judge or an elector of the county to serve in their stead for the duration of the election. 25 P.S. § 2641(c).

Tuesday, November 7 — Election Day

• 7 a.m. polls open: Once polls open, County boards begin pre-canvassing (i.e., verifying, opening, and scanning) mail ballots.
• 8 p.m. polls close: After polls close:
  • District Election Boards (poll workers) lock voting equipment and certify and sign a close out report. 25 P.S. § 3066(a).
  • County boards publish pre-canvass results of mail ballots and begin canvassing mail ballots not included in the pre-canvass. 25 P.S. § 3146.8(g)(2). In Pennsylvania, pre-canvassing and canvassing are the same thing, the only difference is timing, whether it occurs before or after polls close.
• By 2 a.m. on Election Night: District Election Boards will either conduct in-house tabulation or transport the votes to a central location where the county election board will conduct the tabulation. 25 P.S. § 3031.13(j).
• By 3 a.m. on Election Night: County Boards of Elections will make returns available to the public and submit unofficial returns from the precincts to the Secretary of the Commonwealth. 25 P.S. § 3152(a)(b).

Friday, November 10

• By 9 a.m.: County Boards of Elections must begin canvassing (i.e. reviewing the votes cast, resolving any discrepancies, conducting a recanvass if necessary, counting provisional ballots, etc.) returns received from the district elections boards. 25 P.S. § 3154(a).

Tuesday, November 14

• By no later than 5 p.m.: County Boards of Elections record the results (containing in-person election day, absentee, and mail in) and transmit them to the Secretary of the Commonwealth. 25 P.S. § 3154(f). Note this is the end of the county canvass.
  • After receiving the certified results from the County Boards, the Secretary of the Commonwealth tabulates, computes, and canvasses results. 25 P.S. § 3159.

Wednesday, November 15

• By 12 p.m.: A defeated candidate may waive their right to an automatic recount (when the margin is .5% or less). If they do not, the Secretary of the Commonwealth will petition the relevant county boards of election to conduct the recount. 25 P.S. § 3154(h).
  • Qualified electors in a county can also petition for a recount if they allege fraud or error was committed during the canvass. They must do so before this deadline. 25 P.S. § 3263(a).

Thursday, November 16

• By no later than 5 p.m.: The Secretary of the Commonwealth is required to call for an automatic recount when the margin is .5% or less. 25 P.S. § 3154(g)(1)-(2).

Tuesday, November 21

• County Boards of Elections must certify county office results no later than this date if no recount or recanvasss. 25 P.S. § 3154(f).