Process for Certifying Presidential Election Results in 2025 Explained
Media outlets will likely make some unofficial calls on election night from states where the contest is not very close, but expect a process of at least a few days - and potentially as long as several weeks - before the final call is made on who the next president is in 2025.
Every state handles its elections differently, but they all have laws guiding the certification timeline. Generally, after all votes in a state are counted, a board of state election officials reviews the count to assess it for accuracy and completeness. Once that review is completed, the results must then be certified at both the local and state level.
The certification process includes a review by election officials, boards of canvassers or those given authority to certify under state law. Certification may come from the state's chief election official, which can range from its Secretary of State or Lt. Governor to its board of canvassers or other state-level entity. In the end, it is up to Congress to certify the results at the federal level. At that point, we have a new president.
In 2020, the last state to certify its vote count was California, on Dec. 11. However, it took more than 2 months from Election Day before Congress officially certified the votes.
