Former President Barack Obama encouraged the public to “not share things before checking sources’ and respect the hard work of election workers
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Former US President Barack Obama urged the country on Tuesday to be “patient” as election workers count ballots to determine the results of the 2024 US Presidential Elections. Earlier, it was stated that some states might not give out the results by today evening due to some delays.
Before the polls closed across the country, the former president took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to urge people to be patient about the results. “It took several days to count every ballot in 2020, and it’s very likely we won’t know the outcome tonight either,” he wrote in the post.
The former president encouraged the public to “keep a few things in mind as you make your voice heard today.” “Thousands of election workers around the country are working hard today. Respect them. Thank them. Don’t share things before checking your sources. Let the process run its course. It takes time to count every ballot,” he added.
The challenge of counting early ballots
It is pertinent to note that more than 82 million voters cast early ballots this year, which is slightly more than half the total turnout which was recorded during the 2020 US Presidential Elections, The Associated Press reported. States also have different rules dictating when and how ballots must be counted.
Some states have changed their rules since 2020, which could change the timing of when the results will come in. Interestingly, back in 2020, the race was not officially called for days after the election, leading experts to preemptively warn the public against expecting to know the results of the race on Tuesday night.
Experts also warned that the early poll returns do not necessarily indicate the trajectory of the entire election. With Trump gaining an early lead, it will be interesting to see how the race will ultimately pan out.
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