What we will (and won’t) know on election night in Kentucky for the 2022 midterms
You may have chosen to vote by mail, participate in early, in-person voting or go to the polls on Election Day, but in Kentucky your ballot is tallied and certified the same way.
So when and how is it counted exactly?
Polls open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time Tuesday, Nov. 8. If you are in line when polls close, you will be allowed to vote.
Here’s what we will and won’t know about the results on election night, including how Kentucky counts ballots and when we can expect official results.
First though, here are some key terms to know.
Tabulate: To count, record or list systematically.
Processing ballots: Varies from state to state, but typically involves verifying the voter’s signature with the one on record. Kentucky is one of 38 states and the Virgin Islands to allow election officials to begin processing absentee/mail-in ballots prior to the election. Others don’t allow that to take place until Election Day or later.
Vote counting: The initial counting of ballots that starts before Election Day in some states and continues on election night in all states. This includes counting all types of ballots.
Certification: Refers to the process of election officials attesting that the tabulation and canvassing of the election are complete and accurate and the election results are a true and accurate accounting of all votes in a particular election.
Canvass: The canvass is a culmination of all the data generated during an election cycle. It is a process that allows election officials to confirm the accuracy of election data and identify areas for improvement. The canvass process aggregates and confirms every valid ballot cast and counted, including mail, uniformed and overseas citizen, early voting, Election Day and provisional ballots.
What will we know on election night in Kentucky?
The results you see on election night are early, unofficial results.
The official outcome of an election is never decided on Election Day. These early results could give us a sense of the winning candidates in certain races – provided they are not closely contested.
What we won’t know on election night in Kentucky
We won’t have the official election results.
For those, we’ll have to wait for the vote count to be certified.
How does Kentucky count ballots?
Processing absentee/mail-in ballots involves, according to Kentucky law, the county clerk scanning the barcode or label unique to the individual voter to note the receipt of the mail-in absentee ballot.
The mail-in absentee ballots are placed into a locked ballot box immediately upon receipt without opening the outer envelope.
In 2020, election officials in Kentucky began processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots on Election Day, Nov. 3, which was also the deadline at the time for returning a voted ballot by mail.
Counting begins, according to state statute, at 8 a.m. local time for any primary, regular or special election day.
Under that same law, a central ballot counting board appointed by the local county board of elections does the count. The counting board is made up of at least three members, two of which are from opposing political parties.
The county board of elections is also required to authorize the candidates, slates of candidates or their representatives and representatives of the news media to be present during the counting of the supplemental and federal provisional paper ballots.
Canvass Day, which is the date county boards of election must certify the votes to the secretary of state’s office, falls Friday, Nov. 11.
Nov. 28 is the final day for the Kentucky State Board of Elections to tabulate votes and make out certificates of election to winning candidates.
When does the Herald-Leader “call” a race?
Like many newspapers, the Herald-Leader relies on The Associated Press to call races at the state and national level.
As The AP puts it when describing its race-calling methodology: “All of this reporting and analysis is aimed at determining the answer to a single question: Can the trailing candidates catch the leader? Only when the answer is an unquestionable ‘no’ is the race ready to be called.”
For local races, the Herald-Leader waits for all precincts to report, along with all counted mail-in and absentee ballots as of election night.
Can I check on my absentee ballot in Kentucky?
Yes. You can check on the status of your absentee ballot at the SBOE website.
Do you have a question about elections in Kentucky for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.