Why mail voting laws may slow the count in some key swing states

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Why mail voting laws may slow the count in some key swing states
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Some states, like Pennsylvania, may be slower to report election results because of laws that don't allow officials to start preparing mail ballots for counting until Election Day.

Before mail-in ballots can be counted, they have to go through a process sometimes referred to as"pre-canvassing."

It can include checking voters' signatures on the return envelopes, opening the envelopes, taking out the ballots, flattening and then grouping them into stacks ready for scanning. These seemingly mundane but critical steps can take hours or days to finish depending on how many people vote by mail. The Bipartisan Policy CenterSome states, however, have election laws in place that do not allow pre-canvassing to begin until that last day of voting. That includes the key swing states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, where prep work cannot start until 7 a.m. local time on Election Day.

This restriction puts those states' election officials at a disadvantage in terms of turnaround times — especially when compared to states where both pre-canvassing and counting are"Election workers must be given a reasonable amount of time to do their jobs thoroughly. Unofficial results will be available within a few days of the election, and it's critically important for everyone to understand that this delay does not mean anything nefarious is happening.

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