Common Cause Pennsylvania Reminds Voters “Election Day is not Results Day”

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania voters have until 8 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday Nov. 8 to cast a ballot in person or to hand return their mail ballot in in the 2022 midterm election. As voters head to the polls, Common Cause Pennsylvania is reminding voters that it may take days for election officials to finalize results.

“It’s crucial every voice is heard in this election and that means counting every vote,” said Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania. “It takes time to count every vote accurately and that’s why Election Day is not results day. Even if we don’t know the election winners when we go to bed, what matters most is making sure every voter’s ballot is counted accurately.”

Common Cause Pennsylvania reminds voters to sign, correctly date, and deliver their mail ballots to a polling place or a drop box by Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. To find drop box locations, click here.  

Before election officials can begin counting ballots, they must first process ballots, which includes checking to make sure the declaration on the outside of the envelope is signed and correctly dated by the voter and that the voter is on the absentee or mail-in ballot list. Pennsylvania is one of nine states that forbids election workers from beginning processing ballots until Election Day.  

Pennsylvania is one of 38 states that forbid election workers from counting ballots before Election Day, though counting can begin when polls open. 

“State law means that Pennsylvania’s election workers will be tasked with carefully processing and counting every ballot starting November 8, likely requiring days to accurately count all ballots,” said Ali. 

To find 2022 Pennsylvania election results, click here.  

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