Elections & terms
canvass
The official post-election accounting: reconciling ballots cast against voters checked in, resolving provisionals, and producing the final tallies.
In full
Election night numbers are unofficial. The canvass takes days to weeks and includes counting late-arriving mail ballots where permitted, curing signature problems, adjudicating provisional ballots, and reconciling precinct totals. Only after the canvass does a jurisdiction certify results, which is why totals legitimately move after election night.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.