The stark contrast between the promises made by the secretaries of state from Georgia and Michigan on CBS News’s Face the Nation last Sunday highlights the glaring issue of inconsistent election timelines across the country. While Georgia’s Brad Raffensperger confidently stated that his state’s election results would be finalized on election night, Michigan’s Jocelyn Benson was far more ambiguous, estimating that results might not be available until the end of the day on Wednesday.
This disparity is unacceptable, especially considering that other nations, such as France, Japan, and Brazil, are able to release official election results on election night. In fact, Florida has successfully mandated election results to be announced on the same night of final voting since 2006, without ever missing its deadline.
So, what’s the secret to achieving this level of efficiency? Florida’s approach requires all mailed ballots to be counted as they come in, starting 22 days before Election Day. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is set, and all ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day, regardless of postmark.
In stark contrast, states like California adopt a more convoluted approach, mailing ballots to every voter regardless of whether they want them. These ballots must be counted even if they are postmarked by Election Day, not necessarily received by then. This means county election officials often don’t have all the ballots until days after the election, leading to delayed results. The primary election held in California on March 5 was not finally counted until May 2, a shocking example of the lengths to which incompetence can go.
When Congress passed legislation establishing a single national Election Day in 1871, Rep. Benjamin Butler advocated for a straightforward approach: “I think it will be fair for everybody that on the day when one votes, all should vote, and that the whole question should be decided then.” This view has been reaffirmed in every piece of voting legislation passed by Congress since, including the Electoral Count Reform Act signed by President Joe Biden.
Public confidence in election systems is the foundation of our republic, and when it erodes, so does the legitimacy of government. Voters have every right to be skeptical of a process that once took one night to complete but now takes days or weeks, despite advances in technology.
While it’s too late to change the laws this cycle, the next president should make it a top bipartisan priority to standardize election timelines and ensure that results are released on election night, just as they were intended to be.
