Amid a climate of political meanness, many Americans are feeling strong emotions and wondering “how did this happen?” Elections are incredibly complex.
After voters cast their ballots, they are securely transferred to elections offices, where they are counted and made public. While this process is not instantaneous, election results are generally made public by the end of Election Day. The exact timeline varies from state to state. Most states and localities post running election results online, with some updating their websites more frequently than others.
Whether election results are satisfying or disappointing is highly dependent on how they compare to one’s expectations. Achieving expectations leads to feelings of satisfaction, while failing to meet or exceeding them creates feelings of dissatisfaction. This is known as expectancy-disconfirmation theory (Oliver, 2010).
In fact, the most common reason why a voter might say they are satisfied with democracy is that their expectations were met, not exceeded. This finding holds true for both losers and winners.
Despite the partisan divide that has defined the current presidency, Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger won gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia respectively, while democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani beat out former Governor Andrew Cuomo for the mayorship of New York City. In addition, Californians approved Proposition 50 to let the state’s legislature redistrict before midterm elections in a bid to fight Republican-led gerrymandering. All of these results have sparked conversations about how to best ensure electoral integrity.