In light of the ongoing pandemic, states are shifting away from physical polling locations to increase the number of mail-in ballots and remote drop-off locations as a way to curb the spreading of any contagions. However, as seen by the late primary election results released by numerous states, a spike in not-in-person voting may extend the waiting times for final results. If nothing changes by the fall, we will be looking at Election Day extending much longer than November 3rd, possibly for several weeks. To combat this, state officials are pushing for earlier ballot processing. This would allow earlier signature verification and preparation for scanning, all without actually tallying the votes. Doing so would also ensure that officials have sufficient time to inform voters who may have mistakes on their turned-in ballots, rather than simply rejecting them.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/states-want-speed-process-mail-ballots-n1234540
