How are votes counted in Pennsylvania? Audits, verifications and certification

Millions of Pennsylvanians will head to the polls on Election Day Tuesday to cast their ballots for either presidential candidate Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, along with making down-ballot decisions on other races.

But once you press the "vote" button on the ballot box, do you know who is responsible for counting and certifying your vote?

Here's everything you need to know about how your selection becomes an official vote in Pennsylvania.

Who counts votes in Pennsylvania?

According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, individual counties in Pennsylvania will count votes and conduct two different types of audits, which occurs before any results are certified.

A mandatory statistical recount audit, which every county undertakes, pulls a random selection of 2% of the votes (or 2,000 votes overall, whichever is the lesser number) for spot auditing.

This is done to check the accuracy of the initial vote count and is completed by trained election workers and officials, working in teams that can range in size from a few people to a dozen or more.

The auditors are typically bipartisan representatives so that no one political party has control over the process.

The second type is the Statewide Risk-limiting Audit.

"Risk-Limiting Audits are scientifically designed procedures that use statistical methods to confirm election outcomes," read the Pennsylvania state department's website.

In this audit, a random sample of paper ballots are compared to totals reported by the vote-counting machines. It’s done to make sure the machines are counting properly. Again, the auditors are commonly bipartisan election workers or officials who’ve been trained in the process.

How do I know my vote is correct?

The Pennsylvania Department of State explains that every voting system provides a voter-verifiable paper record to ensure a voter’s choices are recorded accurately. Before casting their ballot, the machine displays a printed paper summary of their selections in a secure window for the voter to review. If the paper record is correct, the voter finalizes their vote, making it official. If there’s an error, poll workers can help the voter start over to ensure their choices are properly recorded.

This system enhances security and transparency in voting by providing a physical backup for each vote, which can later be used for audits and recounts if needed.

How are votes certified?

In Pennsylvania — and in every state — vote tallies are not official until the results are certified. In Pennsylvania, this certification happens after two audits are completed: the 2% statistical recount audit and the Risk-Limiting Audit.

Once these audits are finished and any errors or discrepancies resolved, each county submits its results to the Pennsylvania Department of State. The department then reviews and certifies the totals as official. This certification process typically takes place within 20 days after the election, ensuring that every vote has been accurately counted and verified.

Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Do you know how your vote is counted in Pennsylvania?