Reader Question On Counting Mail Ballots
CJ from Brooklyn, New York: There’s a lot of talk about it taking longer to count mail-in ballots than in-person ballots on Nov. 3. Is there a reason those ballots take longer to count (other than some are still eligible for counting after the polls close)?
There are a few reasons. First, mail ballots need to be physically removed from their envelopes, signatures need to be verified and the ballots need to be inserted into tabulation machines. By contrast, in-person votes don’t have envelopes, your signature is verified when you check in (if that’s even a requirement in your state) and voters themselves insert their ballots into the machine (all election officials need to do at the end of the night is hit a button and the machine will spit out the results). In addition, as you mention, some states accept mail ballots that arrive after Election Day, and some also have a grace period of sorts in which people can fix, or “cure,” problems with their ballot.
If you’re wondering when mail ballots — or, indeed, all ballots — will be counted on election night, I recommend our new interactive, “When To Expect Election Results In Every State.”
