Michigan voters have cast their ballots. With Election Day over, the process of transforming unofficial election results into certified outcomes begins.

Here’s a look at the next phase of the elections process:

County boards of canvassers certify election results

In Michigan’s 83 counties, bipartisan boards of county canvassers, each made up of two Democrats and two Republicans, will review election materials, including poll books and vote totals, and meet to certify the results. At the conclusion of the canvass, they review the countywide vote totals and sign a certificate reporting the results. They have 14 days after the election to get the job done, making the deadline Nov. 19 this year.

But if unofficial results show a margin of victory less than 25,000 votes in the presidential election statewide, county boards of canvassers must expedite that schedule. The Michigan Secretary of State can direct county canvassing boards to certify the presidential election results by the seventh day after the election or sometime before the 14th day after the election.

If a county board fails to make its deadline, the Board of State Canvassers will take over and complete the county canvass. The county will bear the cost for completing the canvass.

Michigan’s Board of State Canvassers certifies statewide results

After the results of all 83 Michigan counties have been certified, the Board of State Canvassers, made up of two Democrats and two Republicans, will meet to certify the statewide results and the results of any races that cross county lines (for instance, a congressional or state legislative district that spans multiple counties).

The state board has 20 days until after the election to certify the results, which makes this year’s deadline Nov. 25. That date can be sooner, again at the secretary of state’s discretion, if the presidential election had a margin of victory less than 25,000 votes.

Presidential electors convene

The board of state canvassers’ certification — pending any recount requests — marks the end of the road for most election results. But not the presidential race. After the state board certifies Michigan’s statewide presidential results, the governor must issue a certificate with the names of the state’s presidential electors at least six days before the electors convene. The governor must transmit the certificate to each elector and the archivist of the United States. During party conventions, Michigan’s political parties choose their candidates for electors of president and vice president. These candidates have usually been involved as party activists for years.

More: Find all 2024 Michigan election results here

More: What is the Electoral College, how many electors does Michigan have?

Michigan’s presidential electors must convene at 2 p.m. in the Michigan Senate chamber on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December after the election. This year, that’s Dec. 17. On that day, they will formally cast their votes for president and vice president.

Congress certifies presidential election

On Jan. 6, Congress will meet to tally the Electoral College votes. The vice president serves as the presiding officer of that joint session. Each state is called in alphabetical order and lawmakers can raise objections to a state’s slate of electors, which require the support of one-fifth of the members in each chamber to be considered. For a state’s slate of electors not to count, both chambers of Congress would have to sustain an objection.

This final step in determining the winner of the presidential election received little attention until 2021, when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol to stop Congress from certifying the results. It was a violent day that broke a long tradition of the peaceful transition of presidential power in the U.S.

Contact Clara Hendrickson: chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.

Looking for more on Michigan’s elections this year? Check out our voter guide, subscribe to our elections newsletter and always feel free to share your thoughts in a letter to the editor.