Election Day was Tuesday, Nov. 5

Elections, at all levels of government, can be extraordinarily close. Your vote is crucial to determining the trajectory of our nation and your community.

• In 2020, only six votes separated the candidates in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District.
• In 2016, only 16 votes separated the top two primary candidates for Arizona's 5th Congressional district. (A recount later expanded the lead to 27 votes.)
• And, our nation's election history has seen many races determined by a single vote.

Your vote matters — and so do the votes of your family, neighbors, and friends!

You can track the status of your mail-in ballot online. Some states and U.S. territories may offer text or email alerts as your ballot is processed.

• Use Vote.org’s ballot tracker tools or contact your state or local election office to find the website where your election office tracks mail-in ballots.

Voters in jurisdictions that have no ballot tracking systems can inquire with their local election office.

With the anticipated large number of mail-in ballots, election results are unlikely to be available as promptly as we’ve come to expect.

Some states begin counting mail-in ballots prior to Election Day and may have their results shortly after polls close.

But many states may need days or weeks after Election Day before they are able to report results. In some states, election officials are permitted to only begin counting ballots on Election Day.

Under the U.S. Constitution, federal and state elections are administered by local election offices.

Each election office sets its own rules and provides its own voting information for their jurisdiction.

• Use USA.gov’s Voting and Elections resources or Vote.gov to find additional information offered by your local election office
• Or contact your state or local election office.