Germany’s election this week marked another reminder that most industrialized democratic countries tend to call the results of their elections on election night, unlike the United States, where some congressional, state legislative, and statewide contests ran for days or months after Election Day in November.
While the worst predictions about a prolonged 2024 presidential outcome in the U.S. didn’t come true, down ballot races were delayed.
It’s not just the often-cited California, where eight races were not called on election night—two U.S. House races, five state legislative races, and one statewide ballot measure. A North Carolina state Supreme Court race is still unresolved.
“Most European countries don’t have mail-in elections where election officials are counting ballots for two weeks,” J. Christian Adams, president of the Public Interest Legal…
