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: 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. While the Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced two similar bipartisan bills on election security, they have yet to be debated by the full Senate. In addition, several states have announced plans to replace their current voting machines and computerized vote-counting systems with more modern and hacker-proof equipment before the 2020 presidential election. 9 ﻿
According to a report by the Brennan Center for Justice, local election officials in 254 jurisdictions across 37 states planned to purchase new voting equipment in the “near future.” 10 ﻿ Election officials in 31 of the 37 states hoped to replace their equipment before the 2020 election. 10 ﻿ In 2002, Congress enacted the Help America Vote Act, which allocated funds to help states strengthen their election security.