Uncertified election results in Missouri expected to be released by 11 p.m. Tuesday
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missourians should know the winner of all state races by 11 p.m. on Election Night, according to Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.
Polling locations in Missouri can't begin counting votes until the polls close at 7 p.m. Ashcroft said the secretary of state's office also wont begin releasing initial results until then. Ashcroft said the decision was made to deter voters from having the mindset that their vote wont count.
"I don't want any Missourian that maybe is in a line at 7 (p.m.)... so it takes them longer to get in to vote, I don't want any of them to think that, 'Oh my vote doesn't matter or I should go ahead and leave," Ashcroft said.
He said he expects the first round of vote results to come in around 9 p.m. Other states are expected to take longer. According to the New York Times, counting in Arizona and Nevada could take days after the election, due to mailed-in ballots taking longer to count.
Counting in Pennsylvania is expected to extend beyond Election Night due to election workers not being able to process mailed ballots until Election Day. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, 43 states allow for the pre-processing of ballots.
Ashcroft said the large number of in-person voting in Missouri helps with the counting process.
"Mail-in ballots definitely slow down the process... but in Missouri we have much more of a of an in-person (turnout) that really helps us to get those those totals in on time," Ashcroft said.
Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said she expects results in Boone County to begin coming out around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. The first round of numbers will consist of in-person, no excuse absentee voting. As of Monday afternoon, 26,500 people had cast a ballot in Boone County, according to Lennon.
Cole County Clerk Steve Korsmeyer said he expects Cole County will begin counting absentee votes around 7: 30 p.m. Tuesday.
Results released Tuesday night are unofficial. Ashcroft said the process leading to official results typically takes two weeks. It consists of election authorities hand counting results to ensure they match the machine and the Secretary of State's office overlooking their results.
Official results in Missouri should be certified about 30 days from the election, Ashcroft said.
Ashcroft sued the Justice Department on Monday, after the department said it plans to monitor 86 jurisdictions in 27 states to ensure the integrity of the election, including in St. Louis. Other states such as Texas and Florida said they won't allow Justice Department election monitors into their states.
The DOJ also asked to observe polls in Cole County in 2022. Ashcroft said he finds the move unlawful.
"We're a nation of laws, not of man and we want to be a nation where the laws apply equally to everyone," Ashcroft said. "And it doesn't matter if you're a Fed or a state official or you're neither of those. The law should apply to you and the people of Missouri can trust that they will be able to vote without harassment by the federal government tomorrow."
