CINCINNATI — Millions of voters in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana cast their vote early this election cycle, with experts also expecting a huge turnout Tuesday. But there is still one big unanswered question: when will we know the results for statewide and national races?
The short answer is it depends on the state and what the state's election law allows.
“We’re projecting a pretty high turnout between 70-74%," said Alex Linser, deputy director of the Hamilton County Board of Elections.
In both Kentucky and Indiana, election workers are allowed to begin processing absentee ballots before Election Day and can count them before the polls close. That allows for less of a log jam Tuesday night.
But in the state of Ohio, it's a bit different. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, election officials can process ballots as they come in but cannot count them until polls close Tuesday. Once early absentee and mail-in ballots are counted the day-of votes will be tabulated.
“We have to get all the equipment back from the polling places from Election Day," Linser said. "That process, it just takes time ... the machines are not connected to the internet, so have to be returned physically to our building. And so, we’re waiting to receive those. But usually by 9:30-10 p.m., those are started to roll in and we’re pulling the drives out of those machines and counting those votes.”
For national races, you'll likely have to wait on some of the battleground states. Polls close in Pennsylvania and 15 other states at 8 p.m. At 9 p.m., voting ends in Arizona, Wisconsin and other states. For states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, election officials can not count absentee ballots until in-person voting begins on Election Day. That can cause delays.
In 2020, President Biden was not projected as the winner in Pennsylvania until Saturday morning. But that election did see more mail-in votes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2016 election was called for Donald Trump at around 2:30 a.m. after Wisconsin's votes were counted.
Both Democrats and Republicans WCPO talked to are cautiously optimistic.
“I think as any Democrat, I believe in this process, and I want to protect this process — this is democracy in action," Jay Shatz said.
“You can tell there’s a little bit of tension, but I feel like, for the most part, voters know, voters are getting out and they are voting on the issues that are important to them," Republican Wesley Mitchell said.
In Ohio on Election Day, you must cast your ballot in your precinct at your designated polling place between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. If you do not know where your designated precinct or polling place is located, please contact your county's board of elections or click here to search for your polling place online.
Polls are open in Kentucky from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. If you are in line at 6 p.m., you will be allowed to vote. You can find your polling place here.
In Indiana, polls are open between 6 am and 6 p.m. (local time). You can find your polling place on www.IndianaVoters.com by clicking on “Find My Polling Place.”
