After a long election season and a high voter turnout, it’s time to count the votes and get the results out. As voters’ choices are reflected in the electoral college map, it is important to provide an accurate picture of how those votes were allocated.
Reporters for news media collect unofficial results in real time, both from local counting locations and from sources like government websites. The resulting data is then compared between news outlets to ensure consistency in their reports.
This process goes on for days or even weeks after Election Day to ensure that all ballots are securely counted and verified. This includes military ballots and mail-in ballots that may take longer to process. This process also includes a review of provisional and other ballots to make sure that no clerical errors have been made. The final result is only official once it has been certified by election officials.
Once the full results are in, disconfirmation is measured using a survey question that asks people to rate their level of satisfaction with democracy based on whether the outcome was “unexpected” or not. Those who expect an outcome that matches their expectations are more satisfied than those who expected something different (link 1.a, 1.b).
As with all surveys, there is some variation in how the questions are worded. As such, the reported dissatisfaction with democracy varies by demographic. This year, the most significant variation was among Republicans. This is likely a result of President Trump’s campaign strategy, which was designed to appeal to voters who were dissatisfied with the economy and perceived that Democratic leaders had neglected them.