TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – When you arrive at your polling location, you wait in line, check your ID, circle the candidate of your choice and put your ballot in the machine. But what happens to your ballot once you cast it?

The process will be different depending on whether you file it early, on election day, or send it by mail.

“Ohio basically created its system to ensure that all of its early votes and absentee ballots are counted immediately on election night,” said Terry Burton, director of the Wood County Board of Elections. .

Ohio law states that the Board of Elections is authorized to process early and absentee ballots prior to Election Day.

“You can open the ballots, you can sort them in precinct order, and then you can scan the ballots into the system, but you just can’t press the totals button,” Burton said .

Staff cannot press this totals button until the polls close at 7:30 p.m.

The first results that are released usually between 7:45 p.m. and 8 p.m. are the absentee and early voting numbers, Burton said.

But not all states are the same. Some states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin don’t allow election officials to begin the process until after Election Day, slowing down the results of the presidential race.

As for ballots cast Tuesday in Ohio, officials say each precinct is bringing the USB drives from the touch-screen machines as well as the paper ballots to the Board of Elections. In Wood County, Burton said, USB drives are uploaded to their systems and paper ballots are counted on optical scanners.

“The updates are basically as these precincts come in and come to the board of elections, each location has been uploaded to our system, every 15 minutes to half an hour we post new results,” Burton said.

The process can be seen as a way to increase accountability. Some groups can appoint observers, such as political parties, groups of five or more candidates or thematic groups.

Election officials expect most local and state elections to be called Tuesday evening. However, the presidential race could take several days. All of these results will remain unofficial until all ballots are counted.

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