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    When will the election results be published? If Tennessee can expect results
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    When will the election results be published? If Tennessee can expect results

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    Election officials in Tennessee know it will be a late night of vote counting on November 5th.

    Some other states have warned that their totals won't be available on election night, but Tennessee is more optimistic.

    Knox County Elections Supervisor Chris Davis told Knox News that local results should be released around 11 p.m. ET. Long lines at polling locations, especially if the polls close at 7:00 p.m. ET, could push that time frame.

    Results for different races will be available at different times. Election officials in Tennessee are awaiting earlier results for the U.S. Senate and House races. The presidential election could take longer.

    Doug Kufner, a spokesman for Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, told Knox News that reporting data would be received immediately after 8 p.m

    “We expect unofficial results for all races to be available shortly thereafter,” he said in an email.

    This is in contrast to extremely important swing states. In Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania, election officials have said their counting will not be complete on Election Day.

    When will Georgia results be available?

    In Georgia, a new law requires the results of “all early voting and early accepted ballots” to be reported an hour after polls close, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told CBS News. The state allows poll workers to begin counting mail-in ballots at 7 a.m. on Election Day.

    “That’s 70%, maybe even 75% of all votes cast that will be announced no later than 8 p.m. on election night,” said Raffensperger, who noted that foreign ballots can be received by November 8th.

    In 2020, President Joe Biden won Georgia by around 12,000 votes. The Associated Press did not call the state for Biden until Nov. 19, more than two weeks after polls closed. State officials confirmed the results on November 20, 2020.

    When will Michigan results be available?

    Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said she expected unofficial results in her state to be available by the end of Nov. 6, a day after Election Day.

    “However, we will always prioritize accuracy and safety over efficiency,” Benson told CBS News. “Knowing how much people want these results, we will still ensure the process is safe and accurate before releasing anything to the public.”

    Biden won Michigan in 2020 by around 154,000 votes. The AP called the race on Nov. 4, the day after Election Day, and election officials certified Biden's win on Nov. 23.

    When will Pennsylvania results be available?

    Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt told NPR it was unlikely a winner would be declared in the state on Election Day, in part because of a state law that doesn't allow poll workers to process mail-in ballots before that morning to open.

    Schmidt warned of the danger of spreading false and misleading information when counting votes.

    “The message is: Please be patient,” Schmidt told CBS News. “Our counties are working day and night to count the votes of their voters. They do this as quickly as possible and with integrity.”

    Biden won Pennsylvania in 2020 by around 81,000 votes. The AP called the state for Biden on Nov. 7, four days after Election Day, and his victory was certified by state officials on Nov. 24.

    States often take days or weeks to certify election results

    The increasing popularity of mail-in ballots in recent years has resulted in the media taking longer to announce the winners of certain races. It's not uncommon for state officials to spend days or weeks determining election results.

    David Becker, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research, told USA TODAY that the counting of votes on Election Day has never been completed in any state or at any time in the country's history.

    The results released to the public on Election Day largely come from in-person voting that day, as well as early in-person voting and pre-processed mail-in ballots.

    “Media outlets are generally confident in deciding the race when the partial unofficial results they receive, along with exit polls and sufficient margins, allow them to confidently forecast that the remaining votes yet to be counted cannot exceed the margin,” said Becker.

    But states do not certify election results until days or weeks after Election Day.

    “Some states certify the certification the following week, others take more than three weeks,” said Becker. “All results up to that point are unofficial partial results.”

    USA TODAY reporter Chris Mueller contributed to this report.

    Allie Feinberg covers politics for Knox News. Email her at: [email protected] and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg

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