How are votes counted and certified in Pennsylvania?

The 67 county boards of elections begin counting on election night. Mail-in and absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day. County boards must report their election-night returns by 3 a.m. on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, the day after the election.

Unofficial county returns are due to the Secretary of the Commonwealth by 5 p.m. on November 10 and become final five days later, November 15, if no recount is sought. Counties must certify their official results to the Secretary no later than the third Monday after the election, November 23, 2026. This statutory duty to certify by the third Monday applies even after a recount or court-ordered revision.

The Secretary of the Commonwealth is the state's chief election official. After receiving certified county returns, the Secretary tabulates, computes, and canvasses the statewide vote. State law sets no deadline for a statewide canvass; the Secretary tabulates and certifies the results once the counties report.

The Secretary issues certificates for state offices while the Governor issues them for federal offices.

Every Pennsylvania county uses a voter-verifiable paper-record voting system. All five voting systems used in Pennsylvania have been certified by both the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth, and each system must produce a voter-verifiable paper record and meet federal and state security, auditability, and accessibility standards.

The Department of State directed counties in April 2018 to select compliant systems by December 31, 2019, and all 67 counties had deployed them by June 2, 2020.

Pennsylvania has conducted a statewide risk-limiting audit after every election since the 2022 general election, a check performed in addition to the statutory audit of a statistical sample of ballots in each county. For the May 19, 2026 primary, each Pennsylvania county conducted a statutory statistical recount audit sampling at least 2 percent of ballots cast or 2,000 ballots, whichever was fewer, and a statewide risk-limiting audit hand-tallied 4,435 ballots across 15 randomly selected counties.

Pennsylvania law requires an automatic statewide recount when the margin between candidates in a statewide race is within one-half of one percent of the total vote. The automatic-recount provision was established by Act 97 of 2004. Automatic recounts must be completed by the Tuesday after the third Wednesday after the election, which is November 24, 2026.

Any three qualified electors who file a petition alleging reliable information showing fraud or error may force a recount. A contest petition must be filed within 20 days after the election, by November 23, 2026.

A Pennsylvania voter whose name does not appear in the poll book, who is at the wrong location, or whose eligibility is otherwise in question may cast a provisional ballot, which the county board of elections reviews after election day and counts only if the voter is found eligible.