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As soon as votes are cast, they are counted and prepared for tabulation on Election Day.

“If somebody goes into the polling place now their ballot is actually counted then and there,” Smith County Elections Administrator Michelle Allcon said. “The totals are tabulated on Election Day.”

This process benefits voters while also assisting poll workers and election offices by streamlining operations, reducing stress and errors and enhancing efficiency.

Counting a vote refers to tallying individual votes cast in an election. For electronic votes, the machines automatically record and display the number of votes cast. The primary goal of counting is to determine a number of votes per candidate to ensure each vote is accounted for.

After counting, on Election Day, results are combined into a central system for tabulation. Tabulation is compiling and organizing the votes into a final summary that can be reported to the public. This involves collecting results from various locations across different precincts.

Allcon said each ballot box contains a USB drive that serves as one of multiple backups. The USB is uploaded to a stand alone computer system that is not connected to any networks for enhanced security.

The votes from different locations are combined into a single tally. The aim is to count the votes and have the results ready to share by 7 p.m. on election night.

As of Thursday, the amount of overall ballots cast during early voting, including mail-in ballots, totaled 77,312, according to Allcon.

Friday is the last chance to vote early before Election Day, when 38 polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Remainder of early voting dates and times include:

7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday

Locations include:

First Christian Church — Christian Life Center Room 5: 4202 S. Broadway Ave, Tyler

Heritage Building: 1900 Bellwood Road, Tyler

The Hub: 304 E. Ferguson Street, Tyler

Kinzie Community Center: 912 Mt. Sylvan St., Lindale

Noonday Community Center: 16662 CR 196, Tyler

Starrville Church of the Living God, 18396 Highway 271, Winona

Whitehouse Methodist Church: 405 W. Main Street, Whitehouse

Green Acres Baptist Church – Flint Campus, at 1010 CR 137, Flint