1. Not later than the second Tuesday after the election, the verification board shall issue a statement announcing the results of each election held within its jurisdiction and shall certify the returns to each political subdivision and special district submitting a candidate or question at the election. The statement shall include a categorization of the number of regular and absentee votes cast in the election, and how those votes were cast; provided however, that absentee votes shall not be reported separately where such reporting would disclose how any single voter cast his or her vote. When absentee votes are not reported separately the statement shall include the reason why such reporting did not occur. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the election authority to tabulate absentee ballots by precinct on election night.

2. The verification board shall prepare the returns by drawing an abstract of the votes cast for each candidate and on each question submitted to a vote of people in its jurisdiction by the state and by each political subdivision and special district at the election. The abstract of votes drawn by the verification board shall be the official returns of the election.

3. Any home rule city with more than four hundred thousand inhabitants and located in more than one county may by ordinance designate one of the election authorities situated partially or wholly within that home rule city to be the verification board that shall certify the returns of such city submitting a candidate or question at any election and shall notify each verification board within the city of that designation by providing each with a copy of such duly adopted ordinance. Not later than the second Tuesday after any election in any city making such a designation, each verification board within the city shall certify the returns of such city submitting a candidate or question at the election to the election authority so designated by the city to be its verification board, and such election authority shall announce the results of the election and certify the cumulative returns to the city in conformance with subsections 1 and 2 of this section not later than ten days thereafter.

4. Not later than the second Tuesday after each election at which the name of a candidate for nomination or election to the office of president of the United States, United States senator, representative in Congress, governor, lieutenant governor, state senator, state representative, judge of the circuit court, secretary of state, attorney general, state treasurer, or state auditor, or at which an initiative, referendum, constitutional amendment or question of retaining a judge subject to the provisions of Article V, Sections 25(a) to 25(g)^* of the State Constitution, appears on the ballot in a jurisdiction, the election authority of the jurisdiction shall mail or deliver to the secretary of state the abstract of the votes given in its jurisdiction, by polling place or precinct, for each such office and on each such question. If mailed, the abstract shall be enclosed in a strong, sealed envelope or envelopes. On the outside of each envelope shall be printed: “Returns of election held in the county of ______ (City of St. Louis, Kansas City) on the ______ day of ______, ______,”, etc.