'I'm not working all night': Some PA counties will not count mail ballots until after Nov. 3

[RandySF]

At least five counties in Pennsylvania will not be counting absentee and mail-in ballots on election night and will wait until the next day to do so.

Cumberland County in central Pennsylvania issued a news release saying it plans to start counting the mail-in and absentee ballots at 9 a.m. Wednesday. On Election Day, the county will focus on the smooth operation of its polling places.

"Due to available resources and the COVID-19 pandemic, this will allow the county to give equal weight to in-person and mail-in and absentee ballots," the release states.

Monroe County in the Pocono region also does not plan to start tabulating its more than 38,800 mail-in and absentee ballots until Wednesday. Election Day is busy for the office as the polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and it can take until midnight for poll workers to turn in the results, elections director Sara May-Silfee said.
"I'm not working all night," she said. "I can't do it."

Greene, Beaver and Franklin counties also said they do not plan to tally mail-in and absentee ballots until the day after the election.

Officials from Montgomery and Bucks counties have said they expect to start the pre-canvassing and counting on the morning of Election Day.


https://www.goerie.com/story/news/2020/10/29/some-pa-counties-wont-count-mail-ballots-until-after-election-day-voting-election/6067403002/

[Marie Marie]

1. I think that a lot of those counties waiting until the day after are pretty red counties so

that may keep him from declaring a win in PA on election night. Good.

[Ms. Toad]

2. Those hours were a shock to the first time observers who trained with me.

Last year (at the county BOE), my hours were 5:30 AM - 11 PM. They should be slightly shorter this year (6:30 - 9:00 or so, since I'm in a polling place this year).

But it's a long, exhausting day for anyone involved in running or observing an election. It's assinine to require verifying and counting occur simultaneous with in person voting. (Much saner to permit the verification in advance, perferably also scanning. But at least advance verificaiton.

(I'm in Ohio - but the schedule and craziness is likely to be similar.)