A person holds a sign referring to the number of electoral votes needed to win the presidency while demonstrating outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center where votes are being counted, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, in Philadelphia, following Tuesday’s election. (AP Photo / Rebecca Blackwell)

Saturday’s election verdict isn’t the last step in selecting an American president. There is still a weekslong timeline during which the 538-member Electoral College picks the president. 

In this Aug. 5, 2020, file photo vote-by-mail ballots are shown in U.S. Postal service sorting trays the King County Elections headquarters in Renton, Wash., south of Seattle. (AP Photo / Ted S. Warren, File)

A shift to mail voting is increasing the chances that Americans will not know the winner of the 2020 presidential race on election night. But that doesn’t mean the results will be flawed or fraudulent. 

(Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

While a record number of Chicagoans have already voted, plenty of others are set to cast their ballots on Tuesday. Have questions about where or how to vote? We’ve got answers. 

What you need to know about mail-in voting and voting in person as Nov. 3 — Election Day — approaches.

In this July 31, 2020, file photo, letter carriers load mail trucks for deliveries at a U.S. Postal Service facility in McLean, Va. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite, File)

If you plan on voting by mail, election officials say it’s best to do it as early as possible so your ballot gets to its destination well before Election Day, which is Nov. 3.

(WTTW News)

Adicionalmente: Preguntas frecuentes del proceso de votación para los residentes de Chicago y los suburbios del condado de Cook

La votación temprana para las elecciones generales del 3 de Noviembre ha comenzado. 

Temporary election worker Joseph Banar, center, disinfects voting stations as a precaution against the coronavirus while a steady stream of voters participates in the first day of balloting in New Mexico, at the Santa Fe Convention Center on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020, in Santa Fe, N.M. (AP Photo / Morgan Lee)

President Donald Trump has been urging his supporters to go the polls and “watch very carefully,” raising concerns about possible voter intimidation. 

A pedestrian walks past a King County ballot drop box, closed until ballots are mailed about three weeks before the election, on a Seattle street Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020. (AP Photo / Elaine Thompson)

What’s the difference between absentee voting and mail voting? There really isn’t any difference. 

In this March 17, 2020, file photo, a voter casts his ballot during Florida's primary election at the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office in Orlando, Fla. (Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel via AP, File)

Why is it that one candidate can win the popular vote but another wins the electoral vote and thus the presidency? Because that’s how the framers of the Constitution set it up.

(WTTW News)

Plus: Voting FAQ for Chicago and suburban Cook County residents

Early voting is underway at the city’s downtown “super site” and another 50 neighborhood locations. Here’s everything you need to know.

(WTTW News)
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To help navigate the options, three local bar associations have screened and ranked each candidate. Here are their recommendations. 

(WTTW News)

Voting by mail in Illinois isn’t new, but amid the pandemic, the state is encouraging voters to cast their ballots by mail rather than in person. But how do you go about that — and is it safe? Here’s what you need to know.