How to View Election Results

Posted by Anonymous , 9/4/2007 Tags:ViewElectionResults
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How to View Election Results

Introduction

The media feeding frenzy for election results begins the hour that the polls close. As news organizations race to be the first to declare a victor in large elections, the public often gets left behind while most people try to make sense of the results. There are some easy ways to view election results in the days after votes are tallied.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Learn to View Election Results

Steps

1

Step One

Watch major network newscasts the evening of an election. These channels are often the first to develop a large picture of how a national election is turning out. Since the networks are relying on preliminary results from their reports in the field, remember that early reports might be conflicting or inaccurate.
2

Step Two

Read the newspaper the next few days. Reporters often stay up all night trying to make sense of election results and present the information to the public. A newspaper might provide a more detailed examination of the information that was on television news the night before.
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Step Three

Look at the town clerk's website or call the office for local election information. Some town clerks post both the official and unofficial results as the ballots are counted. Also, the clerk may provide some analysis of the elections, even if it's just how many registered voters in the town turned out to vote.
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Step Four

Visit the website of the Federal Elections Commission (see Resources below). The FEC provides exact and official breakdowns of votes by state. The organization may take until early December following a presidential election to tally up the results and post them.
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Step Five

Contact the office of the Secretary of your state for official state election results. The Secretary's website may or may not post election results, but the office can mail you copies of the results if you request them. The Secretary is also responsible for the official records of the state's presidential primary election.

Overall Tips & Warnings

  • If you want to view an analysis of election results, look at the website of any major newspaper or television news network. Local newspapers will also often analyze election results and report on the effects of measures that pass.
  • When you look at news websites for an analysis of election results, be sure that the source of the results is cited. Be wary of sites that don't use official election results.
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