Election Results

Understanding the Election Results Process

• Results are only released after polls close on Election Day. No results are known or published before then.
• All votes cast on machines on Election Day, on machines during Early Voting, on Vote-by-Mail ballots, and on Provisional ballots are included in the final vote tally.
• Vote-by-Mail ballots and Early Voting ballots are counted first and are included in the initial results posted shortly after the close of polls on Election Night.
• After the polls close on Election Day, Election Day machine tallies are added to the results as they arrive from each location. This process can take several hours to finish.
• Vote-by-Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day are counted if the Board of Elections receives them within six days after the Election. These ballots are regularly added to the Election Results tallies.
• Provisional ballots must be verified to confirm that each voter is a qualified voter in Burlington County and to ensure that they did not also submit a Vote-by-Mail ballot. This prevents individuals from casting multiple ballots. Processing and counting Provisional ballots can only begin after all Vote-by-Mail ballots are counted.
• The Board of Elections counts and adjudicates all ballots with a bipartisan team of election employees. The County Clerk's Office reports the results as entered by the Board of Elections. This includes all write-in results, which are not fully realized or reported until the Board of Elections certifies the election. The Board of Elections has adjudicated write-in names that appear on the Election Results; all others that remain in the general "Write-In" category are still being adjudicated.
• For Primary and General Elections, a Periodic Report will be made available and updated regularly, showing the number of ballots remaining to be counted. In close elections, candidates and the press can compare the vote difference between candidates with the number of ballots remaining to be tallied.
• Once the Board of Elections certifies the election, the County Clerk's Office will change all election results from "Unofficial" to "Official" status.