If you cast your mind back to Polling Day, you might remember that the most exciting thing to happen before election results were announced was a white cat that made an appearance on camera.
We complained about having to wait several hours for results, which was odd because we’re used to queuing for days outside new fast food restaurants.
Meanwhile, Americans might have to wait several days before their new president is announced.
More than 48 hours have passed since Election Day (3 Nov), but the results of the 2020 American presidential election have not yet been determined.
Why?
That’s because while some states have already declared a winner, other states are still counting votes.
At the moment, it seems likely that Joe Biden will beat the incumbent Donald Trump.
So, why are some states taking so long to count votes?
Well, there are several reasons.
Votes Have Never Been Counted By Election Day
The first thing to note is that it has never been possible to tally all the votes by the end of Election Day, due to the large number of voters across the country.
We think that the winner is already known on Election Day because a news outlet usually announces it in the night.
But this is just a projection based on partial counts.
So, the fact that all the votes haven’t been counted by the end of Election Day isn’t surprising. What is surprising is that it’s taking much longer than usual.
Why is this?
Mail-in Ballots
Unlike other countries like Singapore, Americans have the option to mail their ballots instead of voting in person.
This would allow more people to vote, including those with disabilities or who cannot leave their house for whatever reason.
This voting method came in rather handy in 2020, as a pandemic had swept across the world.
The US is the country with the highest number of Covid-19 cases, with over 9 million infections.
Consequently, many Americans chose to vote by mail, as it was the safer thing to do.
This has led to a record number of mail-in votes, and it’s the main reason counting has taken so long.
More Steps Involved in Counting Mail-in Ballots
Counting postal votes typically takes longer because they have to go through more verification steps.
For example, here are the steps mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania have to go through, according to MIT Technology Review:
- Election officials receive the ballot and envelope within three days of Election Day
- Officials verify that each ballot is associated with the exact eligible voter on the rolls.
- Ballots are validated with voter records, as is done with in-person votes
- Signatures on the ballot envelopes are matched against a central database by bipartisan teams.
- Envelopes are opened and paperwork removed in a specific and legally mandated procedure.
- Ballots that fail to pass these security measures are sent for further investigation, or for follow-up with the voter.
Just reading those steps was tiring. Imagine having to go through them for millions of votes.
Okay, so mail-in ballots take longer to count. Why are some states taking longer than others then?
Different Rules For Different States
In America, different states have different laws and regulations when it comes to counting mail-in ballots.
Since there were many early votes this year, many of which were mail-in ballots, states had the chance to count them before Election Day.
Some states, that is.
Some states allow early counting of mail-in ballots before Election Day, while others don’t tally mail-in ballots until the big day arrives.
According to CBC, Florida permits the counting of ballots 22 days before an election. This may be why Florida has already been called.
However, in states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, no counting of mail-in ballots was allowed prior to Election Day.
This explains why these states took a longer time to declare a winner or are still counting votes.
Moreover, in some states, mail-in ballots can even arrive several days after Election Day. They will still be counted, because they were posted before Election Day.
In North Caroline, for example, mail-in ballots that arrive through 12 Nov will be accepted, as long as they were postmarked before Election Day ended.
With so many mail-in ballots coming in, it’s hard to put a date on when a winner will be declared.
At the moment, there are four states that have yet to tally all their votes:
- Pennsylvania
- Nevada
- North Carolina
- Georgia
And yes, like a political drama, these are swing states, which means the results would be very, very close (think of them as Sengkang GRC instead of Jurong GRC).
So, what Americans and the rest of the world should do is take a break from googling “US Election Results” and binge-watch a show on Netflix.
If it’s Breaking Bad, you might know who the new President is by the time the show ends.
Or at least, we hope.
If you watch at least 10 minutes of brain rot content daily, you must know this:
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