What it requires
The public can see how results are reported, checked, and certified, and who may watch. Four criteria make up this standard.
Results schedule and labeling
Before election night, the site states when the first results will post, how often they will update, which ballots are counted in each batch, and that every figure is unofficial until certified. The results page itself carries that label and a timestamp.
Canvass and certification timeline
The dates and steps between election night and certification are listed: cure deadline for mail ballots, provisional ballot review, canvass board meetings, certification date, and recount thresholds.
Post-election audit procedure
The audit method (risk-limiting, fixed-percentage, or other), who conducts it, when it occurs, and where its results are published are described in advance.
Observer access and chain of custody
The site explains who may observe (party, candidate, public), how to sign up, what observers may and may not do, and gives a plain-language overview of how ballots are sealed, transported, stored, and logged.
Why it matters
Confidence in results depends less on the final numbers than on whether the public understood in advance what would happen and when. Unexplained pauses, late-arriving batches, and shifts in leaders all have ordinary causes that are only reassuring if they were announced beforehand. Observer access and chain-of-custody descriptions let interested parties verify the process rather than take it on faith.
How to implement
- Publish a results plan two weeks before the election: first-post time, update cadence, order of batches (early in-person, mail received by Election Day, Election Day, cured and provisional), and the certification date.
- Label the results page "Unofficial results" with a "Last updated" timestamp in the page heading, not only in a footer.
- Post the canvass calendar as a dated list and link the public meeting notices.
- Describe the audit on a page that stays up year-round and link the prior audit reports.
- Write the observer page with the sign-up form, rules, and a schedule of observable activities.
Examples
Meets the standard. "How results are reported" explains that first results post at 8:15 p.m. and update hourly, that mail ballots received on Election Day are counted over the following two days, and that certification is November 24. The results page heading reads "Unofficial results · Updated 11:02 p.m." The audit page describes a risk-limiting audit with links to three prior reports.
Partial. The results page is labeled unofficial, but there is no advance schedule and no description of the audit.
Incomplete. Results appear with no label, no timestamp, and no process description.
Snippets
Results page heading with status and timestamp:
<header class="results-status" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<h1>Unofficial results</h1>
<p>Last updated <time datetime="2026-11-03T23:02:00-07:00">November 3 at 11:02 p.m.</time>.
Results are unofficial until the canvass board certifies them on
<time datetime="2026-11-24">November 24</time>.</p>
<p>Counted so far: early in-person and mail ballots received through
November 2. Election Day and later mail ballots will be added in
hourly updates.</p>
</header>Canvass timeline (template):
November 3 Election Day. Unofficial results begin at 8:15 p.m.
November 6 Deadline for voters to cure mail ballot signature issues.
November 9 Provisional ballot review completed.
November 12 Risk-limiting audit begins (public; observers welcome).
November 20 Canvass board meets (public meeting, 9 a.m., Room 204).
November 24 Certification. Recount requests due within 3 days.