Although the winners of many political races will likely be called on election night, election officials say, it may still be several days before we know the results of Maryland’s tightest races — especially with a few hundred thousand mail-in ballots remaining to be counted.

This electoral cycle saw strong participation for early voting in personand people voting by mail requested more than 880,000 ballots.

State Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis said he understands the expectation of getting results on election night, but that state and local boards are dedicated to accomplishing their mission to count every vote.

“Our job is not to make projections; we’re counting,” he said on the penultimate day of early voting.

While we wait for these results, here are a few things to keep in mind.

What will we know on election night?

Election officials will release some results Tuesday after polls close. We will see the tally of already counted absentee ballots, in-person early voting, and in-person Election Day votes.

Polls close on Tuesday after the last person in line at 8 p.m. has voted.

How long we wait depends on how long the line is at the cutoff time, said Joanne Antoine, executive director of Common Cause Maryland.

Its nonpartisan, nonprofit democracy watchdog sends volunteers to polling places across the state. This year, more than 180 poll watchers from Common Cause Maryland will visit polling sites to report issues to judges, such as the need for more handicapped parking spaces, and answer questions from voters.

But many votes cannot be counted until after the election, including absentee ballots postmarked on Election Day and provisional ballots.

When are mail-in ballots counted?

Election officials have started counting mail-in ballots Oct. 15, as state law allows, and they will release what they have counted so far after polls close Tuesday.

This counting resumes a few days after election day, because mail-in ballots are postmarked or placed in drop boxes before 8 p.m.. you have to count.

Some of Maryland’s closest elections could come down to this mail-in count, which can take time. As of Saturday evening, more than 320,000 mail-in ballots had been received out of more than 880,000 sent to voters.

“With more and more people voting by mail, there are going to be elections that cannot be called on election night,” Antoine said. About 40% of all ballots cast in this year’s primary were cast by mail.

Even if a winner of a certain race has been decided, each vote is counted and added to the total.

When is it all over?

All ballots will be counted by the end of the day on November 15. After that, the results will go through the final certification process.

When was early voting this year?

The early voting period in Maryland ran from October 24-31. 1 million Marylanders showed up in person to vote polling places across the state.

What is a provisional ballot?

Provisional ballots are cast if there is uncertainty around an individual’s vote. For example, a voter showed up at the wrong polling station and an election official could not find his name on the list. Or someone requested an absentee ballot and then showed up to vote in person. Antoine said provisional votes are common. More than 100,000 provisional ballots, or approximately 3.6% of all ballotswere elected in Maryland during the last presidential election.

Canvassers carefully review each provisional ballot and ensure its legitimacy before including them in the count. If they have any questions, canvassers can contact legal counsel at their local election commission.

Local council members begin counting provisional ballots on November 13.

Who counts the ballots?

Each county and Baltimore has a local board of canvassers that counts ballots. Both the Republican and Democratic parties are represented on canvassing committees, and members of each must attend canvassing.

Antoine has personally seen a handful of paintings. She said the process was transparent and non-partisan. Voters, she said, “should have confidence that people are representing their interests when canvassing to ensure that every eligible vote is counted.”

Some local election boards are live streaming the poll. Check your local council website for more information.