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The original item was published from 11/5/2020 1:28:00 PM to 6/6/2021 12:00:01 AM.

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Posted on: November 5, 2020

[ARCHIVED] Loudoun Election Officials Explain Vote Counting and Vote Credit Processes

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Loudoun County election officials remind voters that how votes are counted and how voters are given credit for voting in an election are two separate processes. 

“There is a lot of misinformation being generated on social media concerning the vote counting process and the voter credit process related to the November 3, 2020, general election, and we would like to address that,” said Loudoun County General Registrar Judy Brown. “Voter credit is a separate process that simply means you appeared to vote. It does not indicate whether your vote counted or not.”

How Votes are Counted

For voters who cast their ballots on Election Day, as soon as their ballot was inserted in the scanner, their vote was counted. 

For those who voted by mail or in-person early voting, they can access information about their vote through the Virginia Department of Elections website: 

  • Go to: vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation.
  • Click on 'Check Registration Status' and log in with your information.
  • Scroll down to the 'Vote Absentee by Mail' area. Look for a date in the 'Ballot Received' column. 
    • For by-mail voters, that is the date the ballot arrived at the Loudoun County Office of Elections and Voter Registration and was turned over to the Central Absentee Precinct for counting. 
    • For early in-person voters, that is the date that they voted at an early vote center. If there is a date in that column, the vote was counted.

Voter Credit

A voter can check online to see if they have been given credit for voting in an election. The process takes a couple of days after the election to complete:

  • Go to: vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation.
  • Click on 'Check Registration Status' and log in with your information.
  • Scroll down to the 'Voter History' section and click the + to expand. Anyone who voted in the November 2020 general election will see it listed, which means the voter received credit for voting in the election.

Officials say one point of confusion is the 'My Ballot' section on the state website. This is where the ballot you would be voting would be listed if there were an active election. Since the election has passed, that section is now blank.  Voter credit is listed under either 'Voter History' or 'Vote Absentee by Mail. '

More information about how elections are conducted in Loudoun County is online at loudoun.gov/vote

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