How to track if your vote has been counted in the US Presidential election

Thousands of Americans are turning to mail-in voting as the 2024 presidential election kicks off between former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. As of November 3, nearly 34.4 million of the more than 67 million requested mail-in ballots have already been returned, according to data from the University of Florida.

Last week, a batch of sealed ballots in Miami accidentally fell from an election worker's van, while ballot drop boxes in Washington and Oregon were set on fire. These incidents have sparked widespread concern and unease among voters.

How long does vote counting take and when does it begin?

The voting for the US Presidential election will close at 6pm on Tuesday (4:30 am on Wednesday IST). However, the process of tallying the ballots will take longer and last well beyond election night. Procedures in several states cause the final count to be delayed for days or sometimes seven weeks.

This is especially true in swing states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, where strict regulations prevent election workers from processing mail-in ballots until election day, further slowing the counting process.

It’s important to note that when media outlets project the race, they rely on unofficial, preliminary results and estimates rather than the verified final count. While election night updates are available through these forecasts, official confirmation takes longer and depends on the completion of the full count.

Tracking your ballot

If a person has already mailed their ballot but seems to be stressed about its arrival at its destination, their state might actually let them check the status of their ballot online. Voters are now able to regularly monitor their absentee and mail-in ballots in almost every state with the exception of Missouri, Illinois, Wyoming and Washington.

These tracking solutions have the ability to enhance the voting process and boost the confidence of the people in addition to decreasing the numerous calls made to local election authorities on the daily.

Vote.org, offers access to monitoring tools in 47 states for voters who want to keep tabs on the progress of their ballot, as well as extra resources for those who want information on provisional votes.

How do we check the ballot?

Since each state has different ballot monitoring tools, some voters might be able to view only the most basic information via their state’s internet portal, such as the whereabouts of when and where their ballot was delivered or received.

Other states allow more tracking access via programmes like BalloTrax or Enhanced Voting, which thereby gives voters access to email, texts, or phone notifications as and when their ballot progresses through the systems.

Voters are also allowed to use the US Postal Services’ Informed Delivery, which allows them to sneak into parcels and incoming mail and makes it easier for them to predict when their ballot will arrive.

Charles Steward, a professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, believes that voters who cast their votes in person have practically “no need” to follow the ballot because they can actually see it pass through the ballot box. Verification of in-person voting is essentially the campaign's responsibility.

Due to the introduction of technologies, voter tracking is currently available in Kansas City and St. Louis. Voters in areas without internet facilities can now contact the local election offices. Wyoming voters can track their ballot by contacting their county clerk’s office directly.

Vote.org and other resources

Officials are providing guidance on whether it’s advisable to cancel the postal ballot and post the vote in person or whether a new mail ballot system can be used according to vote.org https://www.vote.org/ballot-tracker-tools/,

A group of over 4,000 non-partisan volunteers will be available on the day of the election to respond to inquiries about the same via the national hotline 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).

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