>you know why they had to shut down each night and take a pause, or why they could not work directly through?
In my state, the statutes have a provision that if they are not done counting absentee ballots by a certain time at night, they need to close down and resume the next morning during regular business hours, and if they still are not done the following day, they repeat until they are finished, as many days as it takes. (There are more steps than known to counting processing absentee ballots.)
That said……. in my state, the statutes also allow the absentee ballot boards to start counting the ballots early to minimize the chance that counting extends beyond election day.
We know in our small county that it typically takes 2 days process and count just over 2000 absentee ballots. When the county received 2500 ballots it was obvious in advance that absentee ballots would start being counted 2 days in advance of election day, plus election day. Even with the absentee ballots that were delivered on election day to precincts, we were able to finish by 7pm on election day.
Each state is different on when they can start the count in advance of election day.
I am very suspicious that the absentee ballot boards in other states are working pretty late (except on election night). The statutes need to be checked to see if that is prohibited by statute, or if they have to work directly thru. Remember that the absentee ballot boards on election day start working before 7 a.m. straight thru the close of the polls, and then wait for more ballots trickling or flooding in from precincts. I can tell you it is exhausting, and when exhausted mistakes are made. And then the count has to start over… Start with the statutes to determine why/when they are closing at night.
I figure the team filling out the ballots in "the back closet" is compartmentalized from the absentee ballot board for deniability, etc.
All those ballots still coming in to ballot boxes on the street corners in CA days after the deadline? Pulllleeeeze. Makes you wonder just how many extra closets had to be activated.