What's taking so long with the last few election results?

[StealthPolarBear]

Don't shout at me I am sure this is a really stupid question
I don't think the results have changed since I first saw them, earlier on today.whats the delay in the states that haven't sorted it yet? Why aren't they trickling in?

Validating means checking the person who sent in the mail ballot is a registered voter & checking the signature is valid on the mail-in ballot and the ballot has any clear correctly indicated vote marks. It's illegal in some states to start doing this work before election day (way of keeping the ballots safe from tampering).

It's a by-hand job.

The whole system is really odd for my way of thinking...but how votes are counted/processed isn't mandated at a national level. The laws on vote counting are set by state so where California might be able to declare within 5 hours of polls closing just an example no idea what each state does specifically because they already counted the postal votes and could count ballots as they arrived, Arizona might not even start verifying postal votes until the ballot closes and not allow ballot boxes to be counted either.

It could be weeks before an official result with double and triple checking!

Weirdly, at a national level the government can decide that all uncounted postal votes are null and void if they choose to which Trump has already threatened to do.

Basically the closer the result, the longer it'll take.

@eddiemairswife

I get the feeling that Americans are not very good at organising elections. Wasn't it hanging chads last time? You can't beat a sheet of paper and a blunt pencil on a piece of string.

Isn't it weird that we use a pencil

Wisconsin just called, so it is continuing to trickle. Weirdly, Arizona called for Biden hours ago but only some press agencies are counting it - guardian are counting it but BBC and sky news are not. Strange. Michigan should call later today US time so depending on Nevada, I'm hoping we wake up to news of a Joe Biden win.

Can't believe all the scenes of intimidation and police everywhere at the polling stations. We are lucky here to have none of these problems!

fivethirtyeight.com/live-blog/2020-election-results-coverage/

Thanks for sharing - sounds like if Biden wins michigan and Georgia, it'll be over tomorrow. If he doesn't win Georgia, we'll have to wait for nevada/pennsylvania

@JaJaDingDong

It's a lot more votes to count, but there are a lot more people to count them!

If they recruited enough counters, each counter would only have to count the same number of votes as a U.K. counter.

But they don't do it that way.

Covid plays a part in the number of counters as well.

Its not been as simple as "We're expecting a huge turn out, lets hire more polling clerks" this time round as they need to fit the staff into the spaces used safely, not to mention the fact that some staff will have gone down with the virus in the run up (one place metnioned a recent outbreak that affected 25 of their staff)