Pennsylvania announces election results may not be available on election night

In a social media post, the department ,“Pennsylvanians won’t always know the final results of all races on election night. Any changes in results that occur as countries continue to count ballots are not evidence that an election is ‘rigged.’” The post also included a link to a website dedicated to fact-checking claims about Pennsylvania's election process.

https://twitter.com/PAStateDept/status/1821589896773128621?s=20

The announcement echoes the situation from the 2020 election when initial results appeared to favor President Donald Trump as polls closed. However, as mail-in ballots were counted in the following days, Joe Biden was declared the winner in Pennsylvania. The prolonged counting process has frustrated some critics who argue that state election results should be finalized and made public on or immediately following November 5.

Despite calls for reform, Pennsylvania lawmakers did not pass legislation that would allow pre-canvassing of ballots, which could speed up the counting process. The legislative session ended without any changes to the law despite the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passing an initiative in May, according to The Washington Post.

As one of the key battleground states in the upcoming election, Pennsylvania's 19 electoral votes could be crucial in determining the next president. If the race comes down to Pennsylvania, it may take several days before the American public knows the final outcome of the election.

“If the electoral college comes down to Pennsylvania or Wisconsin, we might still face a long period where we don’t know the winner,” explained Rachel Orey, an elections expert with the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Recent polling has shown Trump with a consistent and sizeable lead over Biden in Pennsylvania throughout the year. However, his lead has narrowed against Vice President Kamala Harris, now making the state a dead heat between the two candidates. An August poll by Trafalgar had Trump ahead by two points against Harris, while another poll by The New York Times/Siena showed Harris leading by four points.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story said that the results will not be available on election note.