Voting Experts Release Updated State Election Certification Law Guides Ahead of Midterms

Today, All Voting is Local, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, Campaign Legal Center, and Protect Democracy released updated guides on election certification in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, along with an updated guide with general information applicable to the other states. Each state-specific guide includes the state’s certification timeline for the 2026 general elections, the officials responsible for certification, and the legal safeguards that govern the process.

Made publicly available to election officials and advocates as a helpful tool entering election season, the guides note that certification is the process by which officials sign off on the completion of election results. It is routine. All certifying officials have a mandatory duty to certify by their state’s deadline. The guides outline the consequences if an official certifier delays or refuses to certify election results. They explain that in all states, state officials and/or courts can compel certification. Additionally, they set forth the civil and criminal penalties that state officials may impose on those who delay or prevent certification.

The 2024 election cycle saw at least 17 attempts to interfere with certification, many based on false claims about voters and election systems, election-denial myths, and idiosyncratic disagreements with the results. While these efforts were all unsuccessful — in some instances, officials’ actions caused delays, but election results were ultimately certified.

Before the 2020 presidential election, local officials responsible for certification rarely voted against certification or threatened to refuse to certify. After 2020, such attempts to disrupt an election became a trend.

The eight guides were first published in September 2024. Each has been updated to reflect the 2026 midterm timeline and any changes to the certification process.