It’s almost time for the election, which will undoubtedly be one of the most important moments in recent American history.

Signing the ballot paper and dropping it into the ballot box can be a nervy experience, but keep in mind that it is going into safe hands that will see it gets counted like every other - if you don’t make any of these simple mistakes.

Who counts the votes in the US presidential election?

Across the country, up to 10,000 local election officials are selected. They come from all walks of life and represent every possible strand of political leaning.

Around election time, poll workers are recruited to help out with everything from setting up the boxes to answering questions from voters. These people make up the majority of election officials on voting day.

However, there are also a lot of volunteers who work on election day, so make sure to respect them and take your time with these people trying to do a difficult job.

Full screen

How are the votes counted?

In U.S. elections, popular votes are counted at the state level rather than nationally. The process begins as soon as polls close on election day, with state and local officials collecting, tallying, and verifying votes within their jurisdictions. This process is known as ‘canvassing’.

The votes are usually counted in the following order:

Election workers handle a mix of in-person votes, mail-in ballots, and early votes, which are then tallied up at the county level before reaching the state level.

Each state has procedures in place to verify these counts; once finalised, the governor and designated officials certify the results. Any discrepancies are seen to by officials who investigate, resolve, document them before submitting them to the Canvass Board for approval.