Voters in Alabama knew the outcomes of their Tuesday night elections hours before officials in D.C.began releasing results despite both jurisdictions officially closing their polls at the same time.Both D.C.
and Alabama were scheduled to officially close their polling stations at 8:00 p.m.Eastern Time on Tuesday night.
Alabama counted the vast majority of its votes within about an hour, with the Associated Press calling them at 8:40 p.m.and 9:31 p.m., respectively.Officials in D.C., meanwhile, only began counting votes at 10:47 p.m., around the time the Associated Press declared Rep.
Barry Moore the winner of Alabama’s GOP primary – the most hotly contested race in the state. Democratic-led jurisdictions including California and Washington, D.C., have faced criticism from Republicans and election-integrity advocates who argue that prolonged ballot counting undermines public confidence and leaves major races unresolved for days or even weeks after Election Day.Election officials in those jurisdictions have defended the timelines, pointing to mail-in ballot rules, postmark deadlines and verification requirements they say are necessary to ensure every lawful vote is counted.CALIFORNIA’S SLUGGISH VOTE COUNTING RIPPED ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM: 'EXTREMELY EMBARRASSING'Ballots are stacked on a table at the central count in Baird Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Nov.
5, 2024, during the 2024 U.S.presidential election.
(Vincent Alban/Reuters)D.C.’s first results were delayed after long lines kept some polling places open past the scheduled 8 p.m.close.
Long lines at some D.C.polling stations forced the district to wait almost three hours after polls officially closed to start the counting process.Further delaying the count was the large number of mail ballots and the district’s move to ranked-choice voting, an election method that can require multiple rounds of counting. NYC POLLS ARE CLOSED BUT RACE FAR FROM OVER DUE TO RANKED-CHOICE VOTINGVoters e...