Have patience - that’s the request being made by election officials still processing returns in remaining key states.  In an effort to better understand the process, Spectrum Bay News 9’s Cait McVey checked in with Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus.

Pinellas County breezed right by its 2016 presidential election turnout, with 79 percent of registered voters casting ballots. More than 60 percent of those were mailed in or dropped off in record numbers. Still, Marcus said her office was able to tally up the results before the end of the night.

“I’ve worked a lot of presidential elections,” Marcus said. “This is the first time that I ever left on Tuesday.”

The obvious reason behind the quick returns and the big difference between Florida and some other key states is when officials here could start counting ballots. 

Cait McVey: “In Florida, you’re allowed to tabulate the ballots ahead of Election Day. What kind of impact does that have?”

Julie Marcus: “Florida has really good laws that allow for administrators to do their jobs. To process mail ballots, to go through the verification process of signatures, to be able to open. You need time.”

In states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, that process could only begin on Election Day, leaving election workers there without the same head start.

Cait McVey: “I know you can’t speak specifically for these states but what is going on right now? People are asking for patience. Why?”

Julie Marcus: “As an elections administrator, those folks, their noses are on the grindstone. They are not stopping. But if you have limitations in regard to laws, they are what they are and you have to work within those boundaries.”

Cait McVey: “How important is it for people to understand that at this juncture?”

Julie Marcus: “It is not lost on any supervisor in the United States the tremendous responsibility they have on getting it right.”

Marcus also pointed to election law reforms made in Florida following the 2000 and 2018 elections, saying the changes made the process much smoother.  Marcus said states still counting ballots now could potentially reform their own laws, to prevent some of these delays in the future.