Americans may not know who won on election night

[Amy-Strange]

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Americans may not know who won on election night

WASHINGTON — A surge of mail-in votes and a potential Senate runoff could force Americans to wait days — or more — to learn who won control of the White House or Congress.

Experts are alarmed by the lack of readiness in some states to efficiently process an expected surge of mail-in ballots. Swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan haven't historically dealt with large-scale mail-in voting and are constrained by rules saying mailed ballots cannot begin to be counted until Election Day.

President Donald Trump carried the two states by razor-thin margins in 2016 before he was projected to be the winner late into the night. But this fall, experts warn that hours could turn into days as state officials frantically verify signatures and tally up mailed ballots that could tilt the result.

"There is no chance that we will know on election night the full vote total in Michigan," Marc Elias, an election lawyer with prominent Democratic clients, told NBC News. "Neither Michigan nor Pennsylvania have a history of large numbers of absentee ballots being cast. And Michigan law prohibits the absentee ballots from even starting to be counted until polls are closed."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/americans-may-not-know-who-won-on-election-night/ar-BB15fUZU?ocid=spartanntp
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[subterranean]

1. I'm okay with that.

I know people (and the media) want to know the winner as soon as possible on Election Day, but presidential campaigns go on for almost two years now. There's no reason we can't wait wait a few more days until all the votes are counted.

[jimfields33]

4. Can't mail in ballots be due two weeks earlier?

We get them very early in the process. I’m not sure why we give the same date as walk ins.

[Skittles]

2. we know what happened last time we "didn't know who won"

[The Wizard]

3. Mail in votes

can be counted before election day.

[Raven123]

5. I'm ok with that. However, there is a danger if the final determination takes too long

This year will be the most intense voting environment in my voting lifetime. The 2000 election will seem like a walk in the park. We cannot afford a prolonged interval between election day and the determination of the winner. Trump will keep driving toward chaos, claiming fraud.