U.S. presidential elections have been happening for decades, and historically, we’ve always known who will be the next president the night ballots are cast. Yet, election night results suddenly don’t come in until days after the election.
The New York Times is warning its audience not to expect to know who the winner of the 2024 election will be: former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris.
The outlet told readers that it may take days before all of the votes are counted, much like the 2020 election, when Americans didn’t know who won until the weekend after the election. Their reasoning? Due to “intense security measures required for counting mail-in ballots.”
If a winner is not declared on election night, it will not necessarily point to failures in the process. More likely, it will be a result of the intense security measures required for counting mail-in ballots.
Election officials across the country are trying to telegraph to voters that waiting long hours or even days for a result is not unexpected in a close election. They are eager to counter conspiracy theorists who may seize on the uncertainty as evidence of fraud or malfeasance.
Counting mail ballots takes more time because there are more steps involved. A variety of security measures, including signature verification and ensuring that voters did not also try to vote in person, are required. Election officials must open the ballots and flatten them out before they can be put in a tabulator to be counted.
Meanwhile, NBC News is also warning Americans that it may take days to know the presidential election results. The outlet claimed there will be a “massive pileup of absentee ballots” to sort through, which will result in states not being able to process ballots until after Election Day.
The outlet claimed that “longer waits for results are not a sign of problems” and that not knowing the next POTUS for a few days after the election is normal.
