What is the difference between counting the votes and certifying them?
The canvass counts every ballot, then certification declares that count complete and final.
The canvass is the official count of every ballot; certification is the separate, ministerial step afterward that declares the count complete and final. During the canvass, officials tally and account for all ballots cast, combining the totals from every polling location and from mail voting into one complete count. Certification then confirms that the election process has concluded.
What happens during the canvass
During the canvass, officials tally and account for all ballots cast, combining the totals from every polling location and from mail voting into one complete count. State law sets the timing. In Ohio, for example, the county board of elections begins its official canvass not earlier than the fifth day or later than the fifteenth day after the election and must complete it by the twenty-first day, which for the November 3, 2026 general election is November 24, 2026.
What certification does
Certification confirms that the election process has concluded. Campaign Legal Center calls it a mandatory and purely ministerial process, carried out at both local and state levels. After the results are tabulated, each state issues a certificate of election and sends it to the Clerk of the U.S. House.
More on how votes are counted and made official.
See all the questionsFrequently asked questions
Q. What is the difference between the canvass and certification of an election?
The canvass is the official count of every ballot; certification is the separate, ministerial step afterward that declares the count complete and final. During the canvass, officials tally and account for all ballots cast, combining the totals from every polling location and from mail voting into one complete count. Certification then confirms that the election process has concluded; Campaign Legal Center calls it a mandatory and purely ministerial process, carried out at both local and state levels.
Sources
- Ohio Revised Code, Section 3505.32, https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3505.32 · 2026-03-20