How the ballot-counting rules differ across the key battleground states

Four years after 2020 gave us an “election week,” voters are heading to the polls and wondering: How long will it take for states to count their ballots this year?

Several dynamics have changed since the last presidential contest: Many voters have returned to in-person voting after the Covid pandemic, and many states have rewritten their laws to allow election officials to start processing mail ballots ahead of Election Day. Those two changes are expected to speed up tabulation, but it could still take days to get a full picture of the election results.

Close elections take longer for news organizations like NBC News to call, because the winners may be decided by absentee and provisional ballots, which can take days for election officials to process and count.

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Absentee ballots sent in by mail take more time to process than votes cast in person, because election workers need to verify voters' identities and remove them from envelopes.

And provisional ballots are cast by people who election workers couldn’t immediately confirm were eligible to vote when they cast their ballots. Those ballots are segregated from the eligible ballots until the officials can investigate whether the votes are valid.

As we move closer to Election Day, here’s a rundown of the rules around how the seven key battleground states that are likely to swing the presidential election can count those ballots.

Arizona

Mail ballots: Arizona voters vote mostly by mail, so last-minute ballot drop-offs mean counting can take longer. Officials in the state say ballot counting could take 10 days, although mail votes can start being counted upon receipt, according to the Arizona secretary of state.

Provisional ballots: Provisional ballots, which require additional research by officials or documents from voters, can be counted up to 10 days after the election, according to state law.

Georgia

Mail ballots: Georgia starts processing mail ballots on Oct. 21, and they can be dropped off until polls close on Election Day.

Provisional ballots: Voters have three days to show ID or for registrars to confirm their identities after they cast provisional ballots, but results are expected quickly.

Michigan:

Mail ballots: Larger Michigan jurisdictions can begin processing mail ballots on Oct. 28, giving election officials a much-needed early jump on verifying mail ballots. Mail ballots must be received by the close of polls on Election Day.

Provisionals: Clerks have through Nov. 12 to process provisional ballots.

Nevada

Mail ballots: Mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by Nov. 9. Election officials can begin processing them as soon as they receive them.

Provisional ballots: Voters have three days after Election Day to prove their residency and identities if necessary. If their signatures don’t match the ones on file for their mail ballots, they’ll have until Nov. 12 to “cure” their ballots.

North Carolina

Mail ballots: Mail ballots must be received by Election Day and are partially processed throughout October.

Provisional ballots: Voters who failed to show adequate ID at the polls have until Nov. 14 to take the necessary ID to election officials. Election officials can process other provisional ballots up until counties start canvassing the results on Nov. 15.

Pennsylvania

Mail ballots: Election officials must receive mail ballots by the close of polls on Election Day. Processing begins at 7 a.m. Election Day, making the state one of the last battlegrounds to start checking signatures and personal information on ballots.  

Provisional ballots: County boards must review and decide whether to count provisional ballots within a week of the election.

Wisconsin

Mail ballots: Mail ballots must be received on Election Day at the latest. Processing begins at 7 a.m. local time on Election Day, which makes Wisconsin the last state to start processing ballots.

Provisional ballots: Voters have until 4 p.m. the Friday after the election to provide any necessary documentation to election officials, like proof of identity, to ensure their ballots count.