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Actual Vote in Your State

How poll tapes work where you live — and what you can do on election night.

Every state handles poll tapes differently. Some require them to be posted in public on election night — in those states, anyone with a phone can independently verify vote reporting. Others post them inconsistently, keep them internal, or have no polling places at all. Select your state to see what applies where you live.

Alabama — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Alaska — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night Arizona — Access poll tapes after election night Colorado — Observe the count Florida — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Georgia — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Indiana — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night Kansas — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night Maine — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Massachusetts — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Minnesota — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only New Jersey — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night North Carolina — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only North Dakota — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Oklahoma — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Pennsylvania — Poll tapes posted outside, in public South Dakota — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Texas — Access poll tapes after election night Wyoming — Access poll tapes after election night Connecticut — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Missouri — Access poll tapes after election night West Virginia — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Illinois — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night New Mexico — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Arkansas — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only California — Varies by county Delaware — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night District of Columbia — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Hawaii — Observe the count Iowa — Access poll tapes after election night Kentucky — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Maryland — Varies by county Michigan — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Mississippi — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Montana — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only New Hampshire — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only New York — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night Ohio — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Oregon — Observe the count Tennessee — Varies by county Utah — Observe the count Virginia — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Washington — Observe the count Wisconsin — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Nebraska — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night South Carolina — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Idaho — Access poll tapes after election night Nevada — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Vermont — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Louisiana — Poll tapes posted outside, in public Rhode Island — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only NH New Hampshire — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only VT Vermont — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only MA Massachusetts — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only RI Rhode Island — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only CT Connecticut — Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only NJ New Jersey — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night DE Delaware — Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night MD Maryland — Varies by county DC District of Columbia — Poll tapes posted outside, in public
  • 1. Poll tapes posted outside, in public (12)
  • 2. Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only (17)
  • 3. Access poll tapes after election night (6)
  • 4. Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night (8)
  • 5. Observe the count (5)
  • 6. Varies by county (3)

How we group the states

We sort every state by how an ordinary citizen can most easily reach precinct results on election night. Your state page lists all six ways to help, including early-voting tapes, but the group tells you the headline move. The groups run roughly from least to most effort. Group 1 is the one to call out: the results tape is posted on the outside of the polling place, so one person can drive a circuit of polling locations in a single night and record each posted tape — no need to get inside, no need to catch the moment the polls close. In Group 2 the tape is posted inside (or the only route is watching the count), so you have to be present before they close the place down — which realistically caps you at about one location a night. By Group 5 there's no precinct tape to film at all, and the route is watching a central count. Find your color and you know roughly how far your state will let you reach before you read a word of detail.

  1. 1. Poll tapes posted outside, in public Drive a circuit of polling places and record each posted tape. 12 jurisdictions
  2. 2. Poll tapes posted inside, or at closing time only Be there before they close up — realistically about one location a night. 17 jurisdictions
  3. 3. Access poll tapes after election night Use the office and public records. 6 jurisdictions
  4. 4. Watcher credential needed to access poll tapes on election night Get appointed as a watcher first. 8 jurisdictions
  5. 5. Observe the count Watch the central count. 5 jurisdictions
  6. 6. Varies by county Check your county. 3 jurisdictions

This is a deliberately high-level picture — one label can't capture every quirk. Group 2 in particular is large and internally varied: most of those states sort of let you see results at the close, but with a catch — results are posted inside rather than on the door, the window is brief, recording rules differ, or it's local practice rather than a hard rule. And two states — California and Tennessee — genuinely split county by county, so they get their own "varies" color. Wherever your state lands, open its page for the specifics that let you make a plan.

All states

Every state and DC is now verified against primary legal sources, as of the date shown on each state's page (2026). Rules change — something different in your state? Help us verify it.