In most states, initial results are announced by local voting precincts shortly after polls close. Again, each state has its own rules on how officials carry out the counting, therefore influencing the speed at which results are released. As an example, the Washington Post cites the post-election process of the last presidential election, dating from 2020, during which it took four days to gather a sufficient number of votes for the major decision-making offices – which are made up teams of data experts brought together by news organizations to analyze the data and project the winners of the vote – officially announce Joe Biden’s victory. And for good reason, at the time, the context of the Covid-19 pandemic had caused a substantial increase in postal votes and early votes.
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When will we know the results?
As this health situation is no longer relevant, or at least of much less intensity than four years ago, the counting of votes should a priori not be so slow. However, it is likely that the outcome of the vote will not be known from the evening of the election neither at the level of the presidency, nor at the level of control of Congress, nuance the American newspaper. Quoted by the Washington Post, the Associated Press (AP) news agency published a detailed report, state by state, including the closing times of polling stations, the counting rules in force, as well as the probable time within which The results will be announced, all calculated on the basis of previous elections.
Arizona
In the southwestern state of Arizona, polls will close at 9 p.m. (ET). In addition to electing a presidential candidate, Arizonans will also be asked to vote for the United States Senate as well as the House of Representatives. Additionally, they will also vote on six proposed state laws. This multiple ballot, materialized by a two-page long ballot, could extend the counting period from 10 to 13 days, in particular due to the increase in manual tabulation and new instructions in terms of ballot management. anticipated. In fact, the first ballots to be taken into account in the counting process are those having been cast and processed before election day, recalls the Washington Post. Those having been deposited the same day are counted in a second step, because the electoral staff do not process and verify them before the close of the polls. Arizona makes the results public under one condition: that all its precincts have already announced them, or that one hour has passed since the polling stations closed, i.e. around 10 p.m.
North Carolina
Circumstances are markedly different in the eastern state of North Carolina. With polls scheduled to close at 7:30 p.m. (ET), North Carolina usually conducts a particularly rapid count thereafter. Thus, only 1% of North Carolinian votes still remain uncounted the day after election night, underlines the Washington Post as an illustration, qualifying however that the counting could be exceptionally delayed in certain places this year because of the damage caused by the Hurricane Helene. In this multiple vote, beyond choosing a new – or new – president, the voters of this state will also vote for the House of Representatives, a new governor, a lieutenant governor, an attorney general as well as a secretary of state.
Georgia
The vote itself will a priori take place more quickly in Georgia (south-east) since voters will only vote on the presidential election and the House of Representatives, until 7 p.m. In this state, election law allows the tabulation of postal votes to begin as early as 7 a.m. on election day. Since the last presidential election, in 2020, these ballots have tended to favor Democrats. This therefore implies that the results announced as soon as the polls close will probably initially indicate a Democratic lead over the Republicans. A trend which will normally be confirmed quite quickly in the evening, Georgia being known for its rapid counts. In 2020, approximately 77% of total votes were counted before midnight.
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Michigan
In Michigan, a northern state bordering Canada, voters will decide on the race for the presidency, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Additionally, a new state law passed in 2023 now allows more time for election workers to process and tabulate absentee ballots. Although at first glance it could slow down the process, this legal framework would nevertheless make it possible to alleviate the blockage which had slowed down the counting in 2020, when barely 45% of the ballots were counted before midnight. Additional specificity: Michigan is located in two time zones (the Eastern et Central Times). Separated by an hour difference, the inhabitants of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan will therefore still be busy voting at 9 p.m. while the rest of the state will begin to announce the first results of the remaining 97% of the Michigan population having voted before the offices close at 8 p.m.
Nevada
In Nevada, neighboring California, voters will have until 10 p.m. to make their choices known for the presidency, the Senate, the House of Representatives, as well as three “questions“. In 2021, Nevada passed a law automating the mailing of mail-in ballots to active voters, making permanent an emergency measure taken during the pandemic, reports the Washington Post. Voters voting by mail have until on the day of the election to do so, but their vote will only be taken into account if it is received before November 10. A significant number of ballots should thus be received in the days following the election, delaying the election. at the same time the knowledge of the results In addition, the electoral legislation of Nevada has an additional particularity since the State refuses to communicate any outcome of the vote, even partial, as long as the last voter in the queue has not inserted. his ballot in the ballot box, which could therefore delay the official closing time of the offices.
Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, bordering New York State, where voters will vote again for the presidency, the Senate and the House of Representatives, polling stations are scheduled to close at 8 p.m. As the Washington Post explains, several factors contribute to the relative slowness of counting processes. State election law requires agents to wait until 7 a.m. on election day to begin processing mail-in votes. The start of their tabulation is conditioned by the closing of offices. Determining a winner in this state could therefore take several days, as in 2020, recalls the Washington Post. Two years later, during the 2022 mid-term elections, this voting method also represented almost a quarter of the total ballots.
Winsconsin
A similar situation could also take place in Wisconsin, neighboring Michigan, where offices will close at 9 p.m. Just like in Georgia, the state does not allow mail-in ballots to be processed until 7 a.m. on Election Day. Votes for the presidency, the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as for a “question” could also take longer to be counted, particularly in the Democratic strongholds of Milwaukee and Dane, as was the case during last April’s primaries. In 2020, around 70% of ballots were counted before midnight.
The results will be followed live throughout the night on Lalibre.be
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