These Key Swing States Don’t Count Mail Ballots In Advance—Results May Take Days

Alison DurkeeOct 23, 2024,1/2

Topline

Americans may be waiting days to know the outcome of the presidential election if the vote count is as close in battleground states as polling suggests, as several key swing states don’t allow officials to start processing or counting mail-in ballots until Election Day—meaning it could take days to know who won.

Key Facts

Polling suggests Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are neck-and-neck in battleground states, suggesting it could take a while to determine a winner if it comes down to a small number of votes.

According to a polling average compiled by FiveThirtyEight, Harris is less than two points ahead of Trump in the polls nationally (48.1% support versus 46.3% support) and polling in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin suggest the candidates are virtually tied in the states that are most important for the Electoral College.

While in-person votes are reported quicker on election night, mail-in ballots take longer to count, which Trump took advantage of in 2020 to undermine faith in the election results, claiming victory on election night before all ballots were counted.

His campaign also made baseless fraud claims involving mail-in ballots and challenged how the votes were tabulated, including by filing lawsuits taking issue with the counting process.

If election results prove to be razor-thin, voters should not expect to know the winner of a state until all ballots are counted or reputable outlets call a winner based on the available results, and it’s possible initial results could show one candidate ahead, only for the other candidate to ultimately be called the winner after more votes are tallied.

Slowest Battleground States For Counting Mail Votes

Pennsylvania:The state will be one of the slowest to release results from mail-in ballots because officials can’t start processing absentee ballots—taking steps like removing ballots from envelopes and verifying voter signatures—until the morning of Election Day, and cannot record any vote totals until after polls close at 8 p.m.

Wisconsin:Wisconsin also doesn’t start processing its mail ballots until Election Day, meaning it will take longer to report the results.

Battleground States That Start Counting On Election Day—but Should Release Results Quicker

Georgia:Officials in Georgia have already started tabulating mail-in ballots—it’s allowed starting the third Monday before Election Day—and ballots can start being counted at 7 a.m. on Election Day under state law. That means there will likely be at least partial results to report by the time polls close. The state election board passed new rules that could have delayed the tabulation process, including adding a hand-count requirement for ballots, but the Georgia Supreme Court ruled Tuesday those requirements will remain blocked for now.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/10/23/these-key-swing-states-dont-count-mail-ballots-in-advance-results-may-take-days/