RUFUS – The Federal Elections Board has begun certifying the election results for the 2026 Senate Elections. According to the agency, voter certification is likely to take several weeks as races and election votes are counted and certified.

In a statement to the press, Director Craig Henderson said that machines will take up to two weeks to count and certify all ballots cast during the election. Because there are 27 seats being contested it will take about that long to count and certify each race. Last year, it took the Board 20 days to certify and count all votes.

“We are going to count ballots as quickly, but accurately as possible as our machines ensure every vote counts,” said Henderson. “However, with accuracy comes a lot of waiting. Several races will be called in the coming days but a complete certification of the races will take between 14-20 days which puts us at an estimated time frame of one and half to two weeks.”

Senators who did not face election this year will be instrumental in handling the certification of votes with many voicing support for their fellow party candidates in races around the country. Senate Majority Leader Harry Rodham says that he hopes that Republicans can gain even more seats.

“It is important for Republicans to maintain unquestioned controlled of the Senate because Nationalists flock to the mentally ill for support and pass outlandish policies and laws that we saw take place during the last 100 years of our country,” said Sen. Rodham. “We are fighting for the future and sanity of our country and by allowing any more Nationalists to take control of this chamber, we effectively put that mission on hold or stop it altogether.”

As election board officials and poll workers collect and send out ballots for processing, officials urge voters to be patient as counting and certification are two separate and lengthy processes. They warn voters that by pressuring vote certification, they won’t get accurate results and that time will be the only thing that will provide accurate results instead of rushed results.

Polls closed at 8:00 PM with the final voters awaiting their ballots in line after that time were given time to cast their votes. Officials say that will also delay vote certification as they process the ballots and count them after polling closes. Voters who are senior and opted for their 6:00 AM voting time will have their ballots counted and certified at the same time as everyone else. Early voting took place last month and those votes are also being stored awaiting the official count and certification.

Nationalists in this election are hoping to defend 20 seats are aiming to take 7 seats held by incumbent Republicans. However, polling shows favorability shifting more to the side of Republicans as the Nationalist party continues to lose members at what they call an “alarming rate,” which many experts contribute to attacks on federal law enforcement, unfavorable abortion issues and LGBTQ issues.