Virginia’s November 3 returns remain unofficial as canvass deadlines approach

Virginia’s Department of Elections was still listing the November 3 general and special election returns as unofficial on Thursday morning, November 5. The designation separates the public tally from the certification process that gives election results their official status.

State law requires local electoral boards to begin ascertaining results by 5 p.m. the day after an election. Boards may adjourn as needed, ordinarily within a limit of ten calendar days after Election Day. For this election, that period runs to November 13; the law permits an extension for a risk-limiting audit.

Local-office results become official when the appropriate local electoral board certifies them. The Department of Elections says other contests, including offices spanning locality lines, become official after State Board certification.

The State Board must meet by the first Monday in December to ascertain November results. This year that statutory date is December 7; it is a deadline, not a claim that a particular meeting has been scheduled for that day.

Virginia law also requires explanations of changes made during local review to be forwarded to the State Board and posted on its website. That reporting provides a record of how unofficial totals change during the canvass.

Virginia Department of Elections · Virginia Code §24.2-671 · Virginia Code §24.2-679