US midterms: When will we know the election results?

As voters crossed the US aftermath up connected Wednesday greeting aft the election, the results of the 2020 midterms are improbable to beryllium wholly wide - with officials crossed the state informing that elections whitethorn resistance connected for days oregon weeks.

The expected delays are the effect of a fig of factors, including razor-thin margins betwixt candidates, perchance contested elections and the anticipation of recounts.

Other delays volition beryllium owed to the decentralised mode successful which elections are acceptable up successful the US, successful which states person varied rules for however mail-in ballots are counted, and when.

The contented of delays has been a politically contentious 1 since the 2020 statesmanlike election, erstwhile then-President Donald Trump attempted to assertion triumph the pursuing greeting portion votes were inactive being tallied, declaring continued voting counting a "fraud" and an "embarrassment".

"We privation each voting to stop," Mr Trump said aboriginal connected the greeting of 4 November, little than an hr aft the past polls closed successful Alaska. "We don't privation them to find immoderate ballots astatine 4 o'clock successful the greeting and adhd them to the list."

The contention has prompted electoral officials crossed the state to pass successful caller days that delays are a normal, expected portion of US elections.

In a code connected 2 November, US President Joe Biden besides weighed-in, informing that "it's important for citizens to beryllium patient" portion ballots are counted "in a ineligible and orderly manner".

Let's instrumentality a look astatine wherefore certified results are apt to trickle successful slowly.

Although the last numbers are not yet in, the fig of radical who formed their ballots up of the 8 November predetermination has already surpassed the full from the 2018 midterms. This is apt to beryllium the astir important origin erstwhile it comes to delays this electoral cycle.

As of Monday, much than 40 cardinal aboriginal votes - including in-person and mail-in ballots - had been cast, compared to 39.1 cardinal successful 2018.

Different states person varied regularisation for however mail-in ballots are processed.

Pennsylvania, for example, is 1 of 8 states that lone allowed predetermination officials to statesman processing ballots connected predetermination day. In Maryland, connected the different hand, authorities regulations stipulate that the processing of ballots cannot statesman until 10:00 section clip connected the greeting aft the election.

Similarly, 16 states and Washington DC bash not let counting to statesman until the polls adjacent connected predetermination day, portion 23 states let counting to statesman earlier connected the aforesaid day. Only 10 states let ballots to beryllium processed and counted up of clip earlier 8 November.

Nineteen states besides person a grace play that allows ballots to beryllium counted afterwards, provided that they were sent done the message by predetermination day. In California, for example, ballots tin inactive beryllium received for different afloat week. In Arizona, connected the different hand, ballots indispensable beryllium successful by predetermination day, though officials person 20 days to travel to a last count.

Delays could besides beryllium caused by recounts, which tin instrumentality spot successful races with highly constrictive margins of victory, or, successful galore states, erstwhile requested by 1 of the participating candidates. While the process varies somewhat by state, 41 states and Washington DC let for recounts to beryllium requested. Twenty-two states person proviso for automatic recounts.

In Georgia - wherever determination is simply a choky contention betwixt Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker - winning candidates indispensable person astatine slightest 50% of the vote.

If neither campaigner reaches that fig connected predetermination night, a run-off predetermination volition beryllium held connected 6 December, a replay of the 2020 predetermination successful the state.

There are a fig of states successful which predetermination watchers person said they expected delays, including respective that are location to cardinal legislature races.

In Pennsylvania, a instrumentality passed by the Republican-controlled authorities legislature means that mail-in ballots cannot beryllium counted until the time aft the election. Additionally, the state's apical tribunal precocious ruled that mail-in ballots marked with the incorrect day volition not beryllium counted, though officials person been ordered to "segregate and preserve" immoderate ballots that were mailed successful undated oregon incorrectly dated envelopes successful lawsuit of further ineligible challenges.

The ruling is already the taxable of a ineligible situation from civilian rights groups, which reason that a refusal to number ballots owed to "trivial" paperwork issues has a "suppressive effect" connected voters and could disenfranchise thousands. The suit seeks to barroom authorities and section governments from certifying immoderate predetermination successful which each ballots person not been taken into account.

All this could mean that it mightiness instrumentality days to cognize the results of 2 of the astir intimately watched races successful the midterms: the contention for politician betwixt Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Doug Mastriano, and the Senate contention betwixt personage doc Mehmet Oz and Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman. The second contention could yet find which enactment controls the Senate.

Leigh Chapman, Pennsylvania's acting caput of state. has already warned that results are improbable to travel immediately.

"It's truly important for america to get close accusation astir the predetermination process successful Pennsylvania," Ms Chapman said astatine a quality league successful precocious October. "So voters and the nationalist cognize that erstwhile determination are delays successful counting, it doesn't mean that there's thing nefarious happening. It's conscionable what the instrumentality is successful Pennsylvania."

Across the state successful Arizona - wherever a ample bulk of radical opt to ballot by message - officials person warned that the counting process whitethorn instrumentality up to 12 days. Voters successful the authorities besides person 5 days to close their signature if requested by officials.

"As overmuch arsenic we each privation to spot the victor connected predetermination nighttime successful those adjacent races, that's conscionable not going to happen," Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said successful October. "These things instrumentality time."