On this episode: States don’t all count ballots at the same speed, and the reasons why are more complicated than they might seem. In some places, unofficial election results are nearly complete by the end of Election Day. In others, it can take election officials days or even weeks to finish the count. Behind the scenes, policies around ballot deadlines, early voting, pre-processing rules, and election resources all shape the timeline.

The factors that slow down or speed up ballot counting come into sharper focus when comparing California and Florida — two states with high levels of early and mail voting, but dramatically different reporting speeds. Their approaches offer a window into the broader tradeoffs between delivering faster results and protecting voter access, election accuracy, and public trust.

• Explore the full report: https://ballotpedia.org/Factors_affecting_the_speed_of_ballot_counting_and_delivery_of_unofficial_election_results,_with_a_case_study_of_California_and_Florida 

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*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.