Some contests in next month's US midterm elections may not be called for days after polls close, NPR reports, and the main reason is how close they are rather than how quickly ballots are counted. The results announced on election night are projections by news organisations based on early returns and local demographics, and analysts need far more of the count before calling tight races.
Stephen Richer, a Republican and former election official in Arizona's Maricopa County, said margins matter most, pointing out that Utah's races are called quickly because they are rarely close. California faces the longest waits because it combines many competitive House districts with one of the slowest counts in the country, largely because millions of postal ballots arrive on election day. Experts warned the delays could fuel false claims about the vote.
Source: NPR