ATLANTA — Local authorities are currently in the process of validating the results of this year’s presidential election, a procedure that is proceeding with minimal disruptions, especially when compared to the intense controversies that surrounded certifications in the previous election cycle four years ago, which followed Donald Trump’s defeat.
Georgia has taken the lead among the key battleground states by initiating its certification process, with local election boards set to hold votes throughout the day on Tuesday. With several counties in the suburbs of Atlanta validating their outcomes without any significant dispute, Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger praised the state’s election process as “free, fair, and fast.”
In contrast to the previous election where Trump claimed victory in Georgia and six other pivotal states after losing six to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020, the current landscape appears more subdued. Certification meetings are also planned later this week across other contested states such as Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.
This year’s certification appears to be a return to normalcy compared to the previous chaotic scene, where Trump made considerable efforts to instigate delays and challenges to the rightful election outcomes, urging Republican certification board members particularly in Michigan to obstruct the process. Similar tactics were witnessed in states including Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, though ultimately, the boards moved forward with their certification duties. The emphasis Trump placed on the certification process resonated with some local Republican officials, leading to reluctance in certifying results in subsequent elections. Fears loomed over a possible larger movement to contest certification had Trump lost to Kamala Harris in this election cycle.
Although sentiments about certification varied, Michael Heekin, a Republican member of the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections, expressed his dissent towards the notion that certifying election results is merely a procedural task. He stated, “We should be the first line of defense, at least one of the lines of defense in examining the goodness and the accuracy of the election.”
A representative from the county, which encompasses the predominantly Democratic area of Atlanta, clarified during the proceedings that certification is a critical step that precedes any election-related challenges. The Fulton County election board was expected to conduct its certification vote later in the afternoon.
In a contrast to Trump’s approach four years ago, Harris recognized her loss gracefully and accepted the results. Notably, Trump did win the popular vote for the first time during his three presidential campaigns, expressing positivity regarding the election outcomes. While supporters previously may have stormed ballot counting centers in protest, this time their demeanor has been markedly cheerful.
“Compared to this time four years ago, when I was inundated with hostile phone calls, this year has been remarkably tranquil,” remarked Lisa Tollefson, the election clerk from Rock County, Wisconsin.
Nonetheless, not everyone feels satisfied. Conspiratorial narratives surrounding this election are circulating within both political factions. Following Election Day, some left-wing conspiracy theories gained traction on social media platforms like TikTok and X, particularly questioning why Harris’s vote tally approximated 60 million—about 20 million votes less than Biden’s four years ago.
Right-wing commentators offered distorted interpretations of the numbers, arguing that the vote gap indicated Biden’s prior total must have included illegitimate votes. These assertions failed to take into account the reality that tabulation may extend for several days, particularly in populous states like Arizona and California. As counting continues this week, Harris has increased her total to nearly 72 million votes, a figure that will keep rising.
In the coming weeks, various counties and local jurisdictions nationwide will undertake post-election audits, which generally involve hand-counting a sample of ballots and validating them against machine counts to affirm accuracy.
Before final results are certified, election officials typically prepare and present the vote totals for each candidate in different races, including the overall voter turnout and the total ballots cast. Any irregularities identified must be reported and clarified. “The goal of this period is to identify those kinds of errors,” remarked Kim Wyman, Washington’s former top election official. “They strive to ensure the accuracy of the results and the election.”
Every state, including the crucial battlegrounds, will navigate this certification process. In North Carolina, for instance, where officials quickly recovered from Hurricane Helene’s impact on the west region, election boards across all 100 counties are set to convene on Friday to validate results.
In Pennsylvania, counties have a deadline until November 25 to complete their certification. Some larger counties were still in the process of examining and counting provisional ballots, with unreported unofficial results due to the state on Tuesday. Legal disputes could arise, especially with a tightly contested U.S. Senate race nearing the limit for an automatic statewide recount.
Michigan’s county canvassing boards have until November 19 to review local outcomes before forwarding the data to the Board of State Canvassers, which consists of an equal split of two Democrats and two Republicans. They are expected to certify results by November 25.
In Wisconsin, counties have initiated the canvassing process and must certify their findings by November 19, with the Wisconsin Elections Commission slated to review each county’s reports and the chairperson—currently a Democrat—expected to complete the certification by December 1.
One significant issue identified on Election Day was promptly addressed: vote-counting machines for mail ballots in Milwaukee were found to be improperly sealed. After rectifying the situation, a bipartisan agreement was reached to restart the ballot counting process.
Meagan Wolfe, the state’s nonpartisan leading election official, stated that the election was executed successfully without major issues, crediting well-prepared local election staff trained for such events. “Well-run elections do not happen by accident,” she emphasized.
