With increasing attention on our elections, many Americans have come to understand that  the United States has an election “season” rather than just an election day. To help us all navigate the (complex and often overlapping) processes, the Task Force has created the 2024 Election Roadmap. This interactive resource contains details about the different stages of the election process, potential disruptions, and ways that leaders can take action to support a free and fair election. 

When we understand how the process is supposed to work, we are less susceptible to misinformation and better prepared to interpret developments.

As you’ll see from the 2024 Election Roadmap, there are many components of the election, including voter databases, voting machines, setting up voting locations, verifying ballots, and counting the votes. All of these systems are run by people, and therefore subject to human error. However, there are safeguards in place so that these same people catch and correct any issues quickly. 

When we are familiar with the facts, we are able to identify lies so we don’t accidentally amplify them. Below are some resources to help you do so. 

• Rebutting Allegations of Widespread Voter Fraud by Noncitizens

• Disinformation and Foreign Interference, Susceptibility and Resilience: Lessons for the U.S. 2024 Election from Recent Global Elections

• Hand-Counting Ballots Introduces Unnecessary Risks and Costs to Elections

While preparedness is important, we wouldn’t recommend spending too much time worrying about every conceivable crisis scenario. Periods of uncertainty are possible, but the National Task Force on Election Crises is here to guide you through them. It is our job to spot the developments that could escalate into a crisis, and — if that happens — we will equip you with the details you need, including what you can do and say in that specific situation. 

In 2020, we were able to provide our Task Force Advocates with rapid response analysis and messaging every time an election development rose to a level to cause concern. We are prepared to do the same in 2024. To receive this guidance, which includes access to our Election Season Toolkit — what you need to know and how to explain it — join our Task Force Advocates mailing list.

Again, if any specific development arises that could lead to an election crisis, that National Task Force on Election Crises will spot it and send you guidance. That said, there is one overarching thing to watch out for: the 2024 election subversion strategy. Any attempt to sow doubt in our election processes, any action that interferes with casting or counting votes, and any calls to reject the outcome are part of an overall strategy to deceive, disrupt, and deny voters and their voice.

It is important to recognize how election disruptions fit into this framework. Why? Because there are so many safeguards built into the system at all levels, the only way an attempt to overturn the election would be successful is if we accept it. Public opinion is a powerful tool. Each of us plays a critical role in making sure that the will of the people prevails and results in a peaceful transfer of power. Learn the process so in times of uncertainty you won’t be fooled. Share trustworthy information with your friends and neighbors so when they’re inclined to panic, instead they stay calm. By refusing to cede the narrative to disinformation, we provide for the rule of law to hold. 

There could be developments in any of the four categories our Elections Dashboard tracks: election administration, mis- or disinformation, election interference, and political violence. Below are the most likely scenarios across these categories.

• Natural Disasters and Emergencies If a hurricane or another emergency situation interferes with the voting or counting process, standard operating procedures remain in effect. In case of disruption, election officials can request extensions or other accommodations. 

• Mirages and Shifts Because parties sometimes express a preference for how they recommend their followers vote (in person, by mail, early, on Election Day), and state law has varying rules for when to count each type of ballot, we may experience mirages (one candidate appears to be ahead, e.g., because their preferred type of ballot was counted first) and shifts (the other other candidate catches up once it’s time to count their preferred type of ballot.

• Premature or False Claims of Victory Since we are unlikely to know the winner get results on Election Night, one candidate or party may try to claim victory before the election is officially called. Wait for a trusted source to call the election.

• Allegations of Fraud Sowing doubt about the trustworthiness of our elections is part of an overall strategy to deceive, disrupt, and deny voters and their voice. One side has already claimed that the only way they could lose is through fraud. Depending on the outcome, it is almost guaranteed that we will hear similar lies. There is no evidence of widespread fraud.

• Litigation to Delay the Results In 2020, the losing campaign filed over 60 post-election lawsuits to challenge the results. Similar lawsuits this year are also unlikely to be successful, but they could delay the certification process. The Electoral Count Reform Act created an expedited judicial process to help resolve challenges and litigation prior to the December 17 Electoral College vote. 

• Pressure to Stop the Count Especially if there are premature claims of victory or allegations of fraud, supporters of one side may call for the count to end so the official tally is more favorable to their candidate. Every valid vote can — and must — be counted. 

• Refusal to Certify Results Certification is a ministerial, mandatory duty, meaning that courts can step in and order officials to certify the results of the election they oversee. Certification interference is unlikely to work and could have legal consequences for the official. 

• Clashes at Protests/Counter-Protests In cases of prolonged uncertainty, it is likely that supporters of both sides will gather in public spaces to express their positions. While protest is a vital part of our democracy, participants should be wary of high tensions that could instigate clashes with counter protesters. 

• Threats against Election Officials Because the people who run our elections may — again — be scapegoated for one side’s loss, it is possible that they will be harrassed, intimidated, or threatened. The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections has issued guidance for law enforcement to address these threats. 

The truth is that we don’t know when we’ll know the results (and you should be skeptical of anyone who says they do). In 2020, the winner was “declared” on Saturday (November 7), four days after polls closed. Conditions have changed since then, and voting habits may have as well. This year, several factors (in several key states) will determine how long it will take to project a winner. The most important factor by far is the margin between candidates — the closer the race, the longer it will take to call. 

Other important variables include:

• State rules that govern how and when to count votes
• The number of mail-in ballots and each state’s method to process, validate, and count them
• How late states will accept mail-in ballots — received by or postmarked by Election Day
• The number of provisional ballots cast
• If ballots can be cured, and the timeline voters must follow if they want to fix their error

Especially in the highly-watched battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — it could take multiple days after Election Day to project a winner. In addition to the normal time that it takes to process, validate, and count ballots, both campaigns will likely file lawsuits to include or exclude certain ballots, which could further extend the timeline. While the Associated Press and other newsrooms use statistical analyses to make projections – often while votes are still being counted – results are not official until each vote has been counted and the election has been certified according to state law. 

For more, read our 2020 guidance to newsrooms on explaining how the votes will be counted and projections will be made. You can also review The 2024 Vote Count: What to Expect from Protect Democracy.

The election outcome is final once every valid vote has been counted and each state certifies the results according to the law. Then each state’s electors meet and (by law) vote for the candidate whom the voters chose. The governor (or another, specific authority) then signs certificates of ascertainment and sends them to Washington, where the new Congress will convene on January 6, 2025, to count and vote to certify each state’s slate of electors. At that point the election is officially over, and the new President will be sworn in on January 20, 2025.  

Each state has laws that govern recounts, audits, and legal challenges. While each state has its own certification timeline, federal law requires specific actions by the dates below. Because these deadlines are binding, we can expect potential litigation and political pressure to mount around these deadlines:

• December 11: Federal deadline for states to certify their election. The state executive (usually the governor) must issue a “certificate of ascertainment” that appoints the state’s electors for president. 
• December 17: Electoral College, when electors meet in their respective states to officially cast their ballots for president and vice president.
• December 25: Deadline for each Governor to send their state’s official slate of electors to the United States Archive. 

• January 3: The new, 119th Congress will convene, elect a Speaker, swear in their members and pass their rules. 
• January 6:  A Joint Session of Congress will be held to count the electoral votes. 
• January 20: The 47th President will be inaugurated at 12 noon Eastern Time. 

Below are some resources that provide additional details on the post-election period:

• The Electoral Count Act and the Process of Electing a President

• State and Federal Election Contests: An Overview

• Transition Period Overview

• The Circumstances and Requirements for Redoing Elections

Beyond the political context, and the fact that we are no longer experiencing the uncertainty and risk of a global pandemic, the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 changes the post-election period in five important ways:

1. The ECRA requires states to follow the process for appointing electors that is in place on Election Day. In other words, the electors must be chosen by the popular vote in each state, eliminating the risk that a state legislature would send an alternate slate. 

2. The ECRA identifies that governors (or another, specified official) are the default officials responsible for ascertainment – for identifying which electors will cast that state’s electoral college votes. Prior to the ECRA, it was theoretically possible for two state officials to claim that responsibility and file two separate certificates of ascertainment.

3. The ECRA sets clear statutory deadlines and creates a process for expedited judicial review of disputes about states’ ascertainment of their electors. This allows for a rapid judicial process to take place between December 11 and December 17 to ensure that the electors chosen by the voters are named in that certificate of ascertainment.

4. The ECRA clarifies that the vice president’s role at the joint session of Congress is ministerial – to count the votes, not to adjudicate which state’s votes should or should not be counted. 

5. The ECRA makes it harder for members of Congress to lodge objections to a state’s votes. It now takes one-fifth of each chamber (prior, one Senator and one Representative sufficed), to object, and there are fewer allowable reasons to do so. What has not changed is that for that objection to be sustained – to actually cause votes not to be counted – it would have to be supported by a majority of each house.