> [!NOTE] Coming soon
> Today the `results` matrix is a raw histogram you interpret according to the voting type (see [Voting types](/developers/docs/voting-types) for how to read it per type, or the [Interpretation](#interpretation) section below). A future version of the API will return results already aggregated per voting type, so you will not have to map the matrix yourself. The raw matrix will stay available for clients that need it.
>
> Until then, the [vocdoni-ballot-protocol agent skill](/developers/docs/sdks-and-tools#ai-agent-skills) walks through exactly how the matrix encodes and aggregates per type.

Results are **public** (no auth) and available both while a process runs (a live tally) and after it
ends (final). You address them by **ProcessID**.

## Reading results

Fetch results by process id. The `results` field is an array per question, with one tally per choice
in the order the choices were defined.

- **GET** `/process/{processId}/results`

```bash
curl -s "$B/process/$PROCESS/results"
```

```jsonc
{ "status": "RESULTS",
  "finalResults": true,
  "voteCount": 42,
  "startDate": "2026-07-01T09:00:00Z",
  "endDate":   "2026-07-03T18:00:00Z",
  "results": [ ["25", "17"] ] }
```

| Field | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `status` | string | Process state, for example READY, PAUSED or ENDED. |
| `voteCount` | integer | Total number of votes cast so far. |
| `results` | string[][] | Tallies per question, one entry per choice. |
| `startDate` | string | When voting opened. |
| `endDate` | string | When voting closed. |
| `finalResults` | boolean | True once the process has ended and results are final. |

- `finalResults: false` - the process is still open; the tally is provisional.
- `finalResults: true` - voting has ended; results are final.

:::code-tabs[read results]

```csharp
var r = await Get($"/process/{process}/results");
int votes = r.GetProperty("voteCount").GetInt32();
```
```python
r = get(f"/process/{process}/results").json()
votes = r["voteCount"]
```
:::

> [!NOTE] Live versus final results
> While a process is running, results reflect votes counted so far unless the election was configured
> to keep results secret until the end. Once the process ends, `finalResults` becomes true and the
> tally no longer changes.

## The results matrix

`results` is a matrix of strings (tallies can be large or weighted): `results[field][value]` = the
number of voters who put `value` in that field. For a single yes/no question with choices
`Yes (value 0)` and `No (value 1)`:

```
results[0] = ["25", "17"]
              └Yes  └No        -> 25 voted Yes, 17 voted No  (voteCount = 42)
```

## Interpretation

The matrix is a raw histogram; clients turn it into per-option numbers in one of two ways, picked by
the voting type:

- **Discrete** (count per choice) - the common case for single choice and multi-question. Each inner
  array is read directly as the per-choice counts.
- **Index-weighted** - for each field, multiply each count by its column index and sum. Used by
  ranked, quadratic, budget, and rating ballots, where the *value* carries meaning.

**Approval / multichoice reads differently again.** There the matrix has **one field per option**,
each a `[#voted-0, #voted-1]` histogram, so an option's count is the **second** number, `results[i][1]`
- not `results[0]`:

```
results = [ ["0","3"], ["1","2"] ]    # options Yes / No, 3 ballots
            └Yes        └No
Yes approved by results[0][1] = 3 ;  No approved by results[1][1] = 2
```

Reading `results[0]` here (`["0","3"]`) as "Yes 0, No 3" is the classic mistake - each voter can
approve several options, so iterate the fields, not one field's values. See
[Voting types](/developers/docs/voting-types) for which reading each ballot uses.

## Turnout and the census size

`voteCount` is how many ballots were cast. To show **turnout** - what share of the *electorate* voted
- divide by the eligible-voter count, which is the **published census size**. The results payload does
not carry it; read it from the process detail (`census.size` on `GET /process/{id}`) or remember the
`size` returned when you [published the census](/developers/docs/census#publishing-a-census). A bar that fills
`votesForOption / censusSize` reads as turnout share; one that fills against the leading option always
shows the winner at 100%, which hides participation.