The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is already setting the stage for Election Day, making sure everyone knows they might not have all the ballots counted that night. Here we go again, folks—election workers are going to clock in a few hours, then head home as if they’ve just pulled a double shift down in the mines. It’s a joke, especially when you consider that across the pond in the United Kingdom, they manage to count every ballot in their general elections—covering 650 seats—on the same night. By the time the kettle’s boiling, they already know who’s won. But here in Pennsylvania? Not so much.
The Pennsylvania Department of State’s latest tweets are practically begging for conspiracy theories and doubts to arise:
“Pennsylvanians won’t always know the final results of all races on election night. Any changes in results that occur as counties continue to count ballots are not evidence that an election is ‘rigged.’”
That gem dropped on August 8, and if it didn’t make you do a double-take, you probably weren’t paying attention. Just a few days later, they tried to explain it away:
“This post might have caught your attention and made you wonder, ‘Why doesn’t PA have full results on election night?’ The answer: Because state law says counties cannot begin processing mail ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day.”
In other words, don’t expect things to change anytime soon. The Pennsylvania legislature would have to push a bill to the Governor’s desk to fix this mess, but with Democrats running the State House and Republicans holding the Senate, there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that’s happening this year—or any time in the near future. So, was this a helpful heads-up or just the groundwork for some sketchy shenanigans come election night? Either way, Trump and Harris both have a lot riding on Pennsylvania, and the state’s already showing signs it could be a wild ride.
Pennsylvanians won’t always know the final results of all races on election night. Any changes in results that occur as counties continue to count ballots are not evidence that an election is “rigged.” See the full explanation at https://t.co/viVtWSw4HL. pic.twitter.com/gbaDh8lJpX
— PA Department of State (@PAStateDept) August 8, 2024
