Amid heightened stakes and controversy, voters are eagerly anticipating the outcome of elections in which their opinions will shape the country’s future. But for many, election results might be less than satisfying. Some people might feel disillusioned by a loss that seemed inevitable, while others might feel angry or upset about victories that were unexpected. Regardless of how an election ends, it is important to remember that both the winners and losers will face challenges when adjusting to the outcome.
After election day, local officials will report unofficial results to the public. Then, state elections offices will aggregate this data and report unofficial results for State and Federal races, including the President and Vice President. Only when all valid votes have been counted and the process is complete will officials certify results and officially release them. This can take days or even weeks after Election Day and is an integral part of ensuring that ballot counting is transparent and reliable.
Previous research has found that voters’ expectations about electoral outcomes are often driven by partisan biases, as well as discrepant polling. So, it is not surprising that the gap in perceived electoral integrity between expected and unexpected losers was larger in 2020 than in 2016. In addition, strong partisans are more likely to believe that their own party engaged in unfair tactics during the election than to think that the other side did so.
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