NUECES COUNTY, Texas — All the campaigning, rallies and speechifying by the candidates comes to an end on Tuesday, and then it's just a matter of counting the votes.
That is precisely what folks at the Nueces County Courthouse will be doing this Tuesday. But what actually happens there right after the polls close at 7 p.m.?
We asked Nueces County Clerk Kara Sands to walk us through the steps, and help us break down what happens the moment the polls close at all 87 voting centers.
Out of the more than 15 election cycles under her belt, the 2020 presidential election has been the most labor intensive. On election night, the culmination of months of preparation will come to fruition.
"Once the last voter, who is in line at 7 p.m. has voted, the presiding judges start closing down the vote centers, meaning they start running the tape," Sands said. "They start running the reports from that vote center."
Now, the process of counting the ballots begins long before election night when the mail-in and paper ballots are prepared.
The process of counting doesn't mean tallying up the votes.
"On October 22, the ballot board convened and they start processing what we have received back," Sands said.
Mike Bergsma and Susan Reeves each represent their respective parties as members of the Nueces County Elections Ballot Board made up of 18 people.
It's their job to inspect each ballot to make sure they are valid. So far, they've processed closed to 15,700 of the more than 18,000 ballots requested.
Of those, only a few have not been accepted.
"One that's heartbreaking for me are the ones that fail to sign their ballot envelope," Bergsman said.
"At one point, you might see one or two in every box, but we can go through a whole box and everyone has followed the instructions," Reeves said.
If you're in line at 7 p.m., you will be allowed to vote no matter how long it takes.
That said -- at election central -- the voting machines from all around the county and city begin arriving. Their destination is the official ballot counting area set up on the first floor of the courthouse. Those machines will be checked in and then connected to a secure counter.
"We will hit tabulate on the tabulation equipment and it will start tabulating all of the in-person early votes and all of the mail ballots that we have received and processed," Sands said.
Not much longer after that, the numbers will start appearing on the county's election website.
While the process can be relatively quick, there are times when it won't be.
"At some point, you may not see anything change for a good 30 minutes because remember, we have people out in Bishop, you have one in Robstown so we're always waiting," Sands said.
While not wanting to predict how long it'll take to get all of Nueces County's votes counted, Sands says she can make one assurance.
"At the end of the day, that is what we want, that you are able to vote and that your vote will count and we will protect your vote," Sands said.
More from 3News on KIIITV.com:
- Two CCISD trustees explain their reasoning for delaying stipend payments to employees within the district
- Corpus Christi resident diagnosed with West Nile Virus, first case confirmed this year for the city
- Family finds hero: family of man involved in serious crash finds, thanks 'hero' that 'saved his life'
- Questions left unanswered in case of missing New Hampshire couple found dead in South Texas