We might not know the results of the 2020 Presidential Election for days or possibly weeks. That is because many states have different rules for processing their mail-in ballots.  Florida began processing mail-in votes two weeks before the election. 

Sorting mail and counting ballots can be a logistical nightmare.  Here is why:

-        12 states count ballots as they come in.

-        11 states have a buffer period ahead of the election of over two weeks.

-        17 states begin counting less than two weeks before the election.

-        Six states, including Pennsylvania, do not begin counting until Election Day.

To sum it up quickly, in most states election officials began processing that surge of ballots in the weeks before Election Day. However, in a handful of states election workers cannot begin the work of opening envelopes, verifying signatures, and removing secrecy sleeves, let alone counting, until the day of the election. In swing states where the margins of victory are likely to be close, those rules may mean it takes hours or days after the polls close before a winner is declared.

For up-to-the-minute details on election data, please view the  Palm Beach County Elections site.