Title: How Votes Are Counted on Election Day
Headings: How the Votes Are Counted on Election Day
How the Votes Are Counted on Election Day
Preparations
Paper Ballots
Punch Cards
Mail-In Ballots
Digital Ballots
Recounts and Other Issues
Effect of 2016 Russian Interference on Future Vote Counting
Watch Now: Learn About the Voting Machines Used in US Elections

Content: In some cases, these devices record their votes on removable media, such as hard disks or cassettes, which are transported to the central counting facility for counting. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly half of all Americans use optical-scan voting systems, and about a quarter use direct-recording voting machines. 5 ﻿ Like any electronic device, these voting machines are vulnerable to hacking, at least in theory, experts say. 6 ﻿ 7 ﻿
Recounts and Other Issues
Whenever the results of an election are very close, or problems have occurred with the voting equipment, one or more of the candidates often demand a recount of the votes. Some state laws call for mandatory recounts in any close election. The recounts may be done by a manual hand count of ballots or by the same type of machines used to make the original count. Recounts do sometimes change the outcome of an election. In almost all elections, some votes are lost or incorrectly counted due to voter mistakes, faulty voting equipment, or errors by election officials. From local elections to presidential elections, officials are constantly working to improve the voting process, with the goal of making sure that every vote is counted and counted correctly. Effect of 2016 Russian Interference on Future Vote Counting
Since Special Counsel Robert Mueller issued his "Report on the Investigation Into the Russia Interference in The 2016 Presidential Election" in March 2019, 8 ﻿ the U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation intended to reform the voting process and protect future elections.