The 2022 midterm election results may not be revealed until after election night, Politico suggested on Monday.
Issues surrounding the 2020 Presidential election, including mail-in voting, may still exist in battleground states which could lead to a delay in results similarly seen in the previous election. However, election officials are reportedly optimistic that result delays will not mirror the 2020 election, according to Politico.
2020 election day ballots heavily favored former Republican President Donald Trump while mail-in ballots reportedly leaned in favor of Democratic challenger and then-former Vice President Joe Biden. Early polls showed Trump held a strong lead though the final count did not reflect mail-in ballots which heavily favored the former Vice President.
Election night resulted in a "red mirage" as Biden gained on Trump's lead throughout the following week. Both candidates issued statements from their camps on election night: Biden assured his supporters they would secure necessary votes while Trump addressed the delays in election results stemmed by mail-in ballots.
"This is a fraud on the American public. This is an embarrassment to our country. We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election," said the then-President around 2:30 a.m. post-election night. Trump said he would seek guidance from the Supreme Court over election confusion.
"It’s a very sad moment to me, a very sad moment, and we are going to win this," the President said. "As far as I’m concerned, we already have won this, so I want to thank all of our supporters and I want to thank everybody that worked with us."
On Nov. 7, the Associated Press declared Biden victorious over Trump
"The people of this nation have spoken. ... We've won with the most votes ever cast on a Presidential ticket in the history of the nation. 74 million," said the President-Elect in his victory speech in Delaware, "I pledge to be a President who seeks not to divide but to unify ... I sought this office to restore the soul of America ... and to make America respected around the world again and to unite us here at home."
Other candidates have criticized mail-in ballots since 2020 including Arizona Republican Gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who won her primary against fellow Republican challenger Karrin Taylor Robson in August. Former California Gubernatorial hopeful and radio talk show host Larry Elder also expressed frustration with mail-in ballots during the 2021 recall effort against current Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.
"When the public is uncertain, they’re much more amenable to claims of fraud," said Rachel Orey, associate director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s elections project. In the aftermath of the 2020 Presidential election, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada were declared too close to call election night because of local rules surrounding mail in votes.
Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are potential battleground states this year and will not allow ballots to be counted prior to election day, the outlet reported.
