By Kerry Breen
/ CBS News
Analyzing the 2024 election process
With 2024 presidential election results in from all 50 states, now each individual state still must certify their election results and send them to Congress to be counted to make President-elect Donald Trump’s victory official.
The numbers shared on election night and days that followed are not yet certified. That certification process can take days or weeks, depending on the state.
First, votes are confirmed, to make sure that all valid votes are counted. This stage involves reconciling the number of mail, early, overseas and Election Day ballots cast with the number of registered voters — a process also known as canvassing. Many states also do a post-election audit to verify that voting equipment used during the election counted the votes correctly. In extremely close races, a recount may be required, potentially extending the process.
Finally, once those steps are complete, the vote is certified. Each state has a different deadline for when its election officials must issue a written statement attesting to the validity of the results.
After that, Electoral College members gather in each state capital in mid-December to cast their state’s electoral votes for president and vice president. This year, that’s set for Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Those ballots are sent to the president of the Senate and the archivist, and then counted by Congress on Jan. 6.
Here is each state’s deadline to certify its election results for the 2024 presidential election, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and state officials.
Dates may change if there are recounts in the state, and some deadlines were tentative or not yet specified.
November 7
- Delaware
November 12
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Vermont
November 13
- Wyoming
November 14
- South Carolina
November 19
- Florida
November 20
- Missouri
November 21
- Louisiana
- Minnesota
November 22
- North Dakota
November 23
- Georgia
November 25
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Michigan
- Tennessee
- Utah
November 26
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
November 27
- Alabama
- Connecticut
November 30
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- Hawaii
- Massachusetts
December 1
- Wisconsin
December 2
- Arizona
- Colorado
- District of Columbia
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Virginia
December 4
- New Hampshire
December 5
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- Washington
- West Virginia
December 6
- Illinois
- Mississippi
- Ohio
December 7
- California
December 8
- Texas
December 9
- New York
December 12
- Oregon
Not specified
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News’ TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
