ELECTION RESULTS: DELAYS ARE EXPECTED DUE TO MILITARY BALLOTS
Election Day may be today, November 5th, but if you’re expecting to see who the 47th President of the United States is, you should be prepared to wait. A combination of factors has many experts expecting the election results to be delayed due to military ballots and various state laws in swing states. No, there isn’t some sort of conspiracy afoot, here’s what you need to know:
When Will the Presidential Election Results Be Out?
The final U.S. presidential election results probably won’t be ready on election night, so even if you stay up late tonight, expect a wait.
While Americans have come to expect a projected winner by the next morning, ballot counting has never fully wrapped up on Election Day, and with a tight race mixed with multiple voting variables, 2024 is looking like it might take a bit of time to sort out.
This year, certification deadlines vary greatly, with some states certifying results just two days after Election Day, while others may take over a month.
These delays aren’t new, as there have been several relatively recent elections taking extra time, specifically, the 2000 and 2020 elections.
Famously, in 2000, legal battles stemming from the Florida hanging chad situation and a tight race extended the process.
During the 2020 race, a surge of mail-in ballots during COVID-19 created delays.
The 2024 election results are being affected by state laws in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that restrict counting early votes until Election Day, which could slow results again.
Voters should be prepared for possible delays, as the outcome may take days or even weeks to become official; however, this is not unprecedented.
Recent History
News outlets of all sorts try their best to report Election Day with accuracy to beat each other for breaking the news to viewers.
While everyone has their own method of doing so, each outlet will basically declare a winner, even if votes are still being counted, if there is no mathematical road to victory for the other candidate.
With that being said, there have been several elections that have made Americans wait in recent years, pushing the official announcement until later.
For example, while Obama was declared quickly in 2008 and in 2012 before the end of Election Day, the 2020 election took four days to certify.
Even the race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in 2016 took until the next morning at 3:00 A.M. EST.
Therefore, with so many factors facing the 2024 election results, it’s not uncommon or unexpected that it may take a while before a winner is declared.
How Military Ballots Are Affecting the Election Results in 2024
Only 16 states allow mail-in ballots to be processed before Election Day, with some battleground states, like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, beginning their count on mail-in ballots on November 5th.
Additionally, there are twenty states that don’t start counting mail-in ballots until polls close on election night.
Officials expect the majority of ballots to be counted by November 6-7, 2024, but to confirm some races, expect days or weeks.
This is because of many factors, including some that threaten to disregard military voters’ ballots if not handled properly:
- Mail-in ballots continue to be popular, especially among the military—Pennsylvania alone is expecting record mail-in ballots this year.
- Address changes and early deadlines affect voting for military members. Their votes are often counted last as a result.
- More mail-in ballots mean that even though workers are doing everything they can for an efficient process, expect delays.
Republican groups have recently challenged absentee ballot counting procedures in some states.
We might not know the official election results as soon as we’d like but it’s important to make sure everyone’s vote is counted correctly, especially, the service members fighting for our rights.
Suggested reads:
Military Families & Vets Mobilize: 163,000 Join Election Day Poll Worker Force
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