Vote counting timelines in PA vary from most other states.

In our decentralized system, every state  sets its own processes for running elections. So every state has slightly different rules for when mail or absentee ballots must be received and when they can be processed or counted. Pennsylvania’s election laws and processes mean that it’s unlikely we will know the results of the 2024 election on election night, especially in a close race. 

Why? Pennsylvania is different from most states because state law does not permit pre-processing of mail-in and absentee ballots. That means election workers in Pennsylvania may not process ballots until 7 AM on Election Day. Once they start, each mail-in or absentee ballot can take several minutes to process. There are millions of mail ballots set to be cast in this election, and it will take considerable time to count them all. 

In 2020, 2.6 million votes were cast by mail. It took nearly four days after the election for counties to complete the vote counting process before a presidential winner for the state could be declared. 

What is pre-processing?

Pre-processing allows election workers to remove mail-in and absentee ballots from their envelopes and confirm the ballot is eligible to be counted  before Election Day. Pre-processing significantly reduces the time it takes to tabulate and finalize the vote count. In 2024, the Pennsylvania State Assembly voted not to allow pre-processing of mail-in and absentee in the state for the 2024 presidential election.