Key Takeaways:
– Pennsylvania’s laws and counting process make it challenging to know the winner on election night.
– Under the state’s federal system, individual states run elections, leading to different rules and procedures.
– A high number of mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania in 2020 slowed down the result announcement.
– A smaller proportion of voters are expected to vote by mail in 2024, potentially speeding up the results.
– Election officials in Pennsylvania prioritize accuracy over speed in the vote-counting process.
As the nation waits for election results, the battleground state of Pennsylvania often leaves many in suspense. This suspense is due to the state’s unique election laws and procedures. These laws impact the timing of the election outcome, bringing specific details into the spotlight.
Understanding Pennsylvania’s Electoral Rules
In the United States, individual states, not the federal government, run elections under a system known as federalism. This system allows different rules to exist across different states. Pennsylvanians, for instance, may cast their vote by mail. However, their mail-in ballots can only be opened from 7 a.m. on Election Day, leading to a delay in the counting process.
Mail-in voting played a crucial role in the 2020 elections due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a record number of voters opting for this method, including in Pennsylvania. With almost 2.6 million mail-in votes from the state’s nearly 7 million voters, it took four days for media to project Joe Biden as the winner of the Pennsylvania vote.
For the 2024 election, more than 2 million Pennsylvanian voters had requested mail-in ballots. As the processing of these ballots can only start on Election Day, it means the wait for the final results might be long.
The Role of Mail-In Ballots
While the time it takes to get the election result will depend upon the number of ballots and the proximity of the race, the addition of mail-in votes definitely lengthens the process. A very minute margin of victory can also trigger a state-mandated recount, although recounts rarely change the final outcome.
However, for the 2024 elections, the mail-in vote counting process may speed up. Firstly, fewer Pennsylvanians are expected to vote by mail. Comparisons with the 2022 Midterm Election show a decline in the number of mail-in ballot requests, supporting this expectation.
Secondly, with the 2020 experience, election officials have grown familiar with handling the heavy influx of mail-in ballots and have made preparations to speed up the process. New machines have also been procured by counties to facilitate faster counting.
Understanding Election Result Patterns
The way Pennsylvania reports its election results may reveal certain patterns. Small batches of mail-in votes are typically reported first, followed by in-person votes, with the remaining mail-in votes counted last.
Because in-person votes are almost immediately fed into vote tabulating machines, they’re reported faster. However, as the mail-in-votes get counted later, you can expect the vote share pattern to change. Based on the voters who’ve requested mail-in ballots so far, the expectation is for the Republican vote share to decrease, and the Democratic share to increase.
Being Patient with Democracy
In an era where conspiracy theories are rife and misinformation spreads like wildfire, it’s essential to be patient. The public servants administering the elections are monitored by representatives from both political parties, nonpartisan watchdog groups, academics, and journalists. They prioritize accuracy over speed in their vote-counting process, and any claims otherwise should be dealt with skepticism.
So, while the wait to know who wins Pennsylvania may be lengthy, it’s crucial to remember that this process is all part of a functioning democracy.