The Office of the Secretary of State encourages patience while counties tally election results

Ballot processing in King county

The Office of the Secretary of State encourages voters, the media, and the general public to wait patiently while counties tally election results.

“We understand that voters and the media are eager to learn the results right away,” said Director of Elections Stuart Holmes. 

“However, voting systems are on an air-gapped network and are not connected to the internet. Processes are in place for election administrators to safely and securely publish results, and those processes take time. This is a normal and expected process during any election.”

Counties do not begin tabulating ballots until after the voting period closes at 8pm on Election Day. Following the initial results release on election night, further results will be reported Wednesday, Nov. 9. Washington’s largest counties will post updated results daily. Counties with a population of less than 75,000 are required to report at least every three days.

Results will be regularly updated throughout the 21-day certification window. Each county will post its next tabulation date and time along with how many estimated ballots it has left on hand each time the county updates its results. Results are not final until counties certify them Nov. 29. The Office of the Secretary of State has until Dec. 8 to certify the 2022 General Election returns.

For more information about the election or voting in Washington state, visit the Secretary of State’s website at sos.wa.gov/elections or contact a county elections office.