BySahil Kapur
WASHINGTON — Political science experts say a surge of mail-in votes and a potential Senate runoff could force Americans to wait days — or more — to learn who won control of the White House or Congress.
The lack of readiness in some states to efficiently process an expected surge of mail-in ballots alarms experts. Swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan haven’t historically dealt with large-scale mail-in voting and are constrained by rules saying mailed ballots cannot begin to be counted until Election Day.
In 2016, President Donald Trump carried the two states by razor-thin margins before he was projected to be the winner late into the night. But this fall, experts warn that hours could turn into days as state officials frantically verify signatures and tally up mailed ballots that could tilt the result.
Election lawyer Marc Elias who manages prominent Democratic clients, told NBC News, “There is no chance that we will know on election night the full vote total in Michigan,” “Neither Michigan nor Pennsylvania have a history of large numbers of absentee ballots being cast. And Michigan law prohibits the absentee ballots from even starting to be counted until polls are closed."
Elias said, “People should expect that in November there are going to be absentee ballots and mail ballots that are counted well into the evening and in the days that follow."
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