In a general election, each state has officials who count and __________ votes.

The correct answer is 1. tally.

In a general election, officials are responsible for counting and “tallying” the votes, which means they add them up to determine the final result. The other options—discard, calculate, and ignore—do not accurately reflect the process of vote counting in an election. If you have more questions or need further explanations, feel free to ask!