Most Likely Voters in the US think Vote Counting should be completed within 24 hours. California allows 30 Days for the full official Canvass. Other States and Countries Around the World have Vote Counts done in hours to a day.

American likely voters generally think that votes should be counted within 24 hours (51% think within 24 hours versus 19% who say within several days, and 26% who say “as long as it takes”). The groups that think that it should take it “as long as it takes” are liberals (51%), those making more than $200,000 (46%), and those who went to graduate school (37%).

Counties in California must finalize most results within 13 days under a new law, but they have up to 30 days for the full official canvass. The Secretary of State certifies statewide results around July 10, 2026 (about 38 days after the June 2 election). California will also count ballots received after election day even if no postmark on the envelope.

“If there is no postmark, ballots are considered cast on time by county election officials if the date the voter signed the envelope is on or before Election Day, so be sure to sign and date your vote-by-mail envelope.”

MIT Election Data + Science Lab finds a majority of votes were counted within about 2 hours after polls closed during the 2024 general election, and 75% within about 3 hours.

Other countries have faster vote counts. Here is some information on a few other countries.

Mexico: Preliminary results in v; clear quick count in ~5 hours. “The quick count results for the presidential election are expected to be made public around 11:00 p.m. on June 2.”

Canada: Preliminary results begin within 1–2 hours per riding; vast majority on election night (typically within 4–8 hours after the final polls close, depending on time zone measurement).

Brazil: ~124 million ballots/votes in the 2022 presidential election. Electronic voting machines produce results in a few hours (often within 2–4 hours after polls close). 

France: ~34–35 million ballots in presidential elections. Manual counting at polling stations yields initial/provisional results the same evening (within a few hours after polls close at 8 p.m.), with updates overnight. 

India: ~640–642 million ballots in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Counting begins the day after voting ends and delivers results within ~24 hours (often in a single day). 

Germany: ~50–60 million eligible voters (high turnout yields ~48–51 million ballots in federal elections). Preliminary results are typically available within 7–8 hours after polls close (e.g., around 1 a.m. following evening voting). 

Argentina: ~25 million ballots in recent presidential/midterm elections. Results and winner declarations typically come the same night or within a few hours.