Why do we have to know the results of the election on Election night ?

[kentuck]

Why can't we take a couple of weeks and count all the votes? Why is it necessary for one asshole to come out and declare victory before the votes are counted? Why is it necessary for the other candidate to immediately concede? It all seems like a fraud. Just take your time and count all the votes.

[leftofthedial]

1. makes for really boring TeeVee

if you have to wait two weeks for a bunch of football scores to come in.

[schyzo-nas]

2. Television society...

... just like fast food, fast politics.

[dogtag]

3. You make a very good point. It isn't the same in other

countries. They don't see the elections as a horserace either. In northern Europe elections often take two weeks of serious paper ballot vote counting before a result is known. No one is clamoring to know the result prematurely.

The instant winner concept only really works when the election is so lopsided that a small sampling of exit polls can safely determine a landslide. That hasn't been the case at all for several elections.

[Zero Gravitas]

4. TV ratings

high ratings from people watching to see the results means more ad revenue for the corporate media. End of story.

[LiberalFighter]

5. There is no reason that it needs to be...

Consider that elections early on for President took about 5 months to conclude. And days if not weeks before the results from the various states were known.

Elections in each were not all held at the same time.