When states can begin processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots, 2022
State When processing can begin When counting can begin
| Florida | Upon receipt. | Upon the completion of the public testing of automatic tabulating equipment (which begins not more than 25 days before early voting commences). Releasing the results early is a felony. |
| Pennsylvania | 7 a.m. on Election Day. | At 7 a.m. on Election Day, but the votes may not be recorded or published until after the polls close. |
See the difference?
Pa. Republican Lawmakers Remain Unwilling to Allow Early Vote Counting
“County election officials warn that without early counting of more than 2.6 million mail-in ballots the winner of Pennsylvania in the Nov. 3 presidential election may take days to determine.”
Pennsylvania’s mail ballot rules could slow down election results — again
“The rush to count hundreds of thousands of mail ballots in Pennsylvania won’t kick off until 7 a.m. on Election Day — or, in some counties, even later.
Considering voters requested 908,903 ballots for the May 17 primary — which are now flooding back to election offices by the thousands every day — that constraint means it’s uncertain how complete the results will be on election night in critical races for governor, U.S. senator, and other key positions.
Contributing to any hold-up would again be the election’s lack of pre-canvassing, the ability for workers to open and process mail ballots before Election Day and thus speed up their counting work. Three years after instituting vote by mail, Pennsylvania is one of a minority of states that don’t allow pre-canvassing of their mail ballots, in contrast with 37 states that do. “
