'The Biggest Battleground' Pennsylvania "Counting Will Be Faster Than in 2020"

[US Election 2024]

As the November 5 U.S. presidential election shows a fierce close race until the final moments, with predictions that the final 'winner declaration' will be delayed more than expected, officials from key battleground states Pennsylvania and Michigan have expressed optimism that the vote count could be completed faster than in the 2020 election.

Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania
Photo by AP Yonhap News

According to CNN, Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania, stated on Election Day, the 5th (local time), "This year, approximately one million fewer mail-in ballots were requested compared to the pandemic period (2020 election)," adding, "Due to changes in state election laws and regulations requiring votes to be counted without interruption, I am confident that results will come out as quickly as possible in key battleground states." He explained, "Combining all these factors will speed up the counting process."

Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State, when asked if she expects a winner to be declared in Michigan on the evening of Election Day, diagnosed, "The biggest determining factor is whether the competition is close." She further predicted, "Compared to noon on Wednesday in 2020 (Michigan time), the results will come out faster." Earlier, Goldman Sachs also forecasted that due to changes in state ballot processing methods after the pandemic, vote counting would be faster than in the 2020 election.

Until now, local observations have suggested that the confirmation of the winner might be delayed due to high early voting rates and polls showing a razor-thin race. According to the University of Florida Election Research Institute, as of Election Day this year, approximately 85.9 million voters have completed early voting. Typically, mail-in voting requires envelope scanning, sorting, and signature verification before counting, which can delay the vote tally. Especially in Pennsylvania and six other battleground states, mail-in ballot sorting and verification are prohibited before Election Day, causing final counting and tallying to be slower than in other states.

According to the Associated Press, in the 2012 election, victory declarations were reported after 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Election Day. In the 2016 election, it was in the early morning of the following day, and in the 2020 election, it was only possible on the morning of November 7, four days later.