The United States’ presidential election is a key event in the life of democracy. It determines who will hold the highest office in the country and has major ramifications for the rest of the world. This election season has given rise to an unusual number of claims of electoral fraud and other irregularities. Some of these allegations have been backed by concrete evidence while others remain largely unproven. Regardless of the outcome, it’s important that citizens have confidence in the integrity of elections and the legitimacy of their results. In many democratic countries, regular elections are the primary mechanism that regulate conflicts between competing groups and ensure a peaceful alternation of power (Anderson et al. 2021).
Election results are not final until all ballots are counted and certified by local and state officials. The initial counting of votes starts before Election Day in some states and continues on election night. Sometimes, close races will trigger a recount after the canvass is complete. Recount rules differ from state to state, but in general the trailing candidate has the right to request a recount if the vote margin is within a certain threshold.
Previous research has found that voters’ perceptions of election integrity and satisfaction with democracy are influenced by their expectations and partisan biases. Hence, if a voter’s expectation is not fulfilled, he or she will be less satisfied with democracy. This effect is stronger for unexpected losers than expected winners.
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