Mainers should be prepared for some delayed election counts

PORTLAND, Maine (AP)

Mainers accustomed to staying up late to see who won the election may be out of luck in several races here.

That’s because a record number of absentee votes along with ranked choice voting could delay results from Tuesday’s election.

Maine will have to wait about a week to learn the winners of several races if it comes down to extra tabulations under ranked voting.

Nearly half a million Mainers already voted via absentee ballot, and tens of thousands more will vote in person on Election Day.

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said Monday that a delay in unofficial election results is not a cause for concern.

1/3 Voters, be assured that any delay in unofficial election results from your municipality on Election Night is not a cause for concern. Per Maine law, clerks actually have 2 days to send unofficial results to our office, and many continue their tabulation work into Weds.
— MaineSOS (@MESecOfState) November 2, 2020

2/3 The focus of our office, and of municipal election clerks, is on accuracy rather than speed, so we can assure all Mainers that their vote is properly reflected in the final results.
— MaineSOS (@MESecOfState) November 2, 2020

3/3 Our office does not have an Election Night reporting system for the public, and releases only the official results after all the certification work is done, 20 days after the election. Any results you see before then, reported in the media, are unofficial.
— MaineSOS (@MESecOfState) November 2, 2020