Americans may not know who won on election night [View all]

[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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