Election Day is set to become Election Week or even Election Month for many voters across the country. In 2020, it took four days for President Biden to be projected as the winner due to delays in ballot tabulation, sparking unsubstantiated claims of fraud from Donald Trump and his allies. This year, delays in several states could impact the outcome of not only the presidential race but also down-ballot races and the battle for control of Congress.
Alaska is notorious for being one of the last states to get its ballots counted due to its peculiar election rules and scattered, mostly rural population. Absentee ballots and early votes cast after a certain time frame must be tallied up to 7 days after the polls close, potentially delaying results for key races. Arizona also faces potential delays in processing mail-in ballots and could face litigation, particularly in the 1st Congressional District, currently held by Republican David Schweikert. Biden won Arizona by a narrow margin in 2020.
California’s extensive signature verification process and allowance of 30 days to count ballots have led to a history of taking days or even weeks to finish counting votes. While Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to win California’s electoral votes, several House Republicans in the state could be waiting anxiously to see if they will be returning to Washington in January. Nevada has implemented steps to ensure quicker ballot processing this year, including allowing mail-in ballots to be counted up to four days after the election if postmarked on or before Election Day.
North Carolina has a new policy that prohibits counting early votes until after the polls close, potentially slowing down the ballot processing compared to previous years. Pennsylvania, a state that many believe will decide the presidency, does not allow any ballots to be counted before Election Day, leading to historical delays in projecting results. Wisconsin may not have immediate results on election night, as ballots cannot be counted until that day, with early and absentee voting not showing signs of dropping off post-pandemic.
Georgia, previously the last state to be called in 2020, has taken measures to speed up result reporting and reform the election process. Early vote turnout records have been shattered in Georgia, and the state has already processed millions of ballots. Michigan has also taken steps to allow precincts with more than 5,000 voters to start counting mail-in ballots before Election Day, potentially allowing for quicker reporting of results. Overall, delays in several states could impact the timeline of determining election results nationwide.
