Anticipated Schedule For Release Of Franklin County Election Results

Determining unofficial election results is a days-long process and one that is very specifically outlined by the Pennsylvania Election Code. Even after the polls close on Election Day and the initial rounds of unofficial vote tallies are recorded and published, counties must continue processing every eligible vote. In an election year with high voter turnout – such as a presidential election – there are even more votes to count, which can make for an even longer process.

By law, Pennsylvania counties cannot open, process or count mail-in and absentee ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day. The Election Code also states that counties cannot record or publish mail ballot results until after the polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day. In addition to the mailed ballots received before Election Day and the in-person ballots cast at Franklin County’s 73 polling locations, the county must also process and count mail-in ballots that were received on Election Day, military votes, provisional ballots and assign write-in votes. All of this must occur before election results can be certified; by law, counties have until December 5, 2024 to certify results.

News outlets may “call” races on election night when there appears to be a wide margin between candidates. In reality, the news media is basing those calls on unofficial results. The public should expect to see a fluctuation in election results as additional categories of ballots are processed, per the schedule below. Every vote must be counted before the outcome of a race can be known.

Below is the anticipated schedule for the release of election results from the November 5, 2024 Presidential Election in Franklin County:

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