So all these dumps happened in different states and counties all at the same time and that's normal?
Executive summary
Yes — many different contests, runoffs and special elections did occur across multiple states in late 2025; December calendars included contests in Georgia, New Jersey, Tennessee on Dec. 2 and further runoffs on Dec. 9 and later dates, and dozens of off‑cycle and special races nationwide [1]. Multiple outlets and trackers show that special elections and runoffs are routine parts of the U.S. electoral calendar and that dozens to hundreds of local, state and special contests can happen in the same window [2] [3].
1. Why you saw many “dumps” at once: off‑cycle and runoff scheduling
States and localities use different rules and calendars, so many runoffs and special elections cluster in early December: guides and trackers list contests beginning Dec. 2 in Georgia, New Jersey and Tennessee, continuing Dec. 9 in Florida, Georgia and New Mexico, with further runoffs later in December and into January — this creates the appearance of simultaneous results being posted across states [1].
2. Special elections are normal — and frequent
Special elections to fill vacancies in Congress and state legislatures occur whenever seats become vacant; Ballotpedia and other trackers reported multiple special elections in 2025 (for example, Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District scheduled for Dec. 2) and noted that as of November 2025 five special congressional elections had been held with several more scheduled [3]. State legislative special elections numbered in the dozens in 2025 as well [4].
3. Why timing varies: state law, governors and election mechanics
State law and gubernatorial decisions determine when special elections and runoffs are held; governors set some dates after resignations or vacancies and statutes set when runoffs (if no candidate reaches a threshold) must occur — which explains why one county or state posts new counts while another waits for a legally prescribed runoff date [5] [3].
4. “Ballot dumps” vs. legitimate late additions: how counting rules drive perceptions
Counting rules — especially for mail ballots and for the processing of ballots before Election Day — affect when votes are reported. Analyses note that slow counts are often the product of statutory choices (for example, whether ballots can be scanned before Election Day) and that intentional procedural timing can create late swings in reported totals, which some call “ballot dumps” though the slow timing is often by design [6].
5. National coverage amplifies simultaneous events
National outlets and aggregators (AP, CNN, PBS, Bolts, Ballotpedia) compile results from many jurisdictions on the same pages; that centralized reporting makes it look like many dumps are part of one event even when they are independent local or state processes — AP’s and CNN’s election pages and Bolts’ guide documented multiple separate contests being tracked in December [7] [8] [1].
6. What the data actually show about scope in 2025
Comprehensive trackers counted hundreds of contests: Ballotpedia and Bolts catalogued nearly 200 key elections across 32 states for the 2025 cycle and noted dozens of local, state and special contests and ballot measures — so multiple simultaneous results across states are expected when weeks include scheduled runoffs and make‑up dates [9] [2].
7. Competing narratives and sources of mistrust
Some political actors and commentators frame late reporting as evidence of fraud; independent analysts and organizations point to statutory rules and administrative choices as the real drivers of late results and caution that these delays “give oxygen” to false claims and conspiracy theories [6]. The sources disagree on political interpretation (some highlight partisan advantage in late tallies), but they concur that timing is largely legal and administrative [10] [6].
8. Bottom line for readers worried about irregularity
Simultaneous “dumps” across counties and states are primarily the predictable result of many separate schedules, runoffs and special elections clustered in December plus reporting practices and mail‑ballot processing rules — not proof by itself of coordinated fraud. If you want to evaluate a specific contest, look to local election officials’ calendars and the legal rules governing when ballots are counted, plus reputable trackers like AP, Ballotpedia and state election sites for context [7] [3] [2].
Limitations: available sources do not provide a single comprehensive list of every December 2025 contest at the county level; for precise timing in any one county consult that county’s election office (not found in current reporting).