When a decision is taken to publish interim results, it is desirable to do so as quickly as possible. A few hours to a day after polls close is considered a reasonable amount of time to release the first interim results, depending on the local political, logistical circumstances and the electoral system. Where counting takes place over several days, updates are often published at the end of each day's counting.
Where votes are counted progressively, or are recounted several times, and interim results are published before the final result is determined, interim results could be misleading. For example, interim results could indicate that a candidate or party was winning a seat, or a particular number of seats, but the final result might be different. Consequently, special precautions are needed to ensure that confusion or civil strife does not occur.
The release of interim results should include cautionary language. The authority responsible for releasing results should explain that they are not official final results, and that changes and corrections may be necessary in the process of determining the official final counts.
The electoral management body does not necessarily have to release the interim results. In some jurisdictions it is seen as more appropriate for the media or non-governmental organizations to release and announce preliminary indications of the vote. However, in the interests of demonstrating transparency, it is desirable that the electoral management body take responsibility for publishing interim results.
Depending on the local situation, it may be desirable to include all types of ballots (such as absentee, mail-in, advance vote, and mobile voting station) used in the election when interim results are released, to avoid discrepancies between interim and final results. Whatever decision is taken on the ways of releasing interim results, the conditions must be clearly explained. For example, are all votes included? Are the votes subject to recounts, etc.? In other cases, it may not be possible to wait for these figures to be available without unduly delaying publication of interim figures. In this case it is important to qualify the interim results by pointing out that the results do not yet include these other types of ballots.
In some cases it may be possible to count absentee, mail-in ballots, advance vote, or mobile voting station before election day, to enable these results to be included in interim results published on election day. If these special ballots are counted a few days prior to election day, these results should be kept very secure, and access to them should be prohibited until the polls close on election day. This approach has advantages and disadvantages. While it allows more complete interim figures to be published, it may also seriously compromise the integrity, turnout, or outcome of the vote if any results are publicly released before the polls close. As it is usual for candidate and party representatives to be present when any votes are counted, this is a real risk.
Publication of interim results in countries with multiple time zones before the polls close in some areas may have an undesirable impact on voting behaviour. For countries with multiple time zones, staggered voting hours or a black-out on releasing results may be considered, to allow all voters to vote before knowing the election outcome or trends in other parts of the country. In some circumstances, these measures may not be seen as appropriate or necessary. Staggered opening and closing times might be seen as discriminatory in some countries. Canada, for example, uses staggered hours.
Discrepancies between Official and Interim Results
Discrepancies between interim results and final official results are generally small, if procedures are well designed and carefully followed. While discrepancies may affect particularly close races in individual electoral districts, they rarely affect the outcome of a general election.
Where discrepancies do occur, the electoral management body should issue statements explaining the reasons for the discrepancies, to ensure that public confidence in the system is maintained.
Deciding not to Publish Interim Results
If a political situation is unusually unstable, the electoral management body could consider not announcing interim results, but only final results, in order to avoid any confusion. This option has its risks, as any delay in publishing final results may itself cause instability. This option is not very practicable where party or candidate representatives are present at the counts, as what happens at these counts is effectively in the public domain. Attempting to suppress information from the counts until the announcement of final results in this case is generally not a realistic option.
If political or security concerns are acute, consideration could be given to conducting the count in secret, with only polling officials present, or by swearing candidate and party representatives to secrecy until the counting is final.
In general, it is preferable to announce interim results, wherever possible, to enhance the transparency of the election process.
Security Considerations
The electoral management body needs to take special security measures in order to avoid fraud during the process of compiling interim and final election results. Only authorized persons should have access to the processes used to compile election results.
