In a general election, each state has officials who count and

In a general election, each state has officials who count and certify votes. After polling places close, all voted ballots are sealed, secured and transported to be tabulated (by officials). Counting votes does not end on Election Night, there are thousands of ballots that need to be counted, including provisional ballots and damaged ballots. A sample of ballots from every election must be manually tallied to verify election machine counts. There is a process in which each vote is counted/verified, then officially certified, first by the local counties and then by the secretary of state/state board of elections.

General elections (include the presidential election) are elections held at a city, a county or a state that involve competition between at least two parties.

united states government;