Here in UK all polls are done by with paper ballots. When polls close there is a big push to get the boxes in the right place and votes counted quick. If a recount is needed its done then an there, it causes a hold up but nothing major.
Polls close at 10pm and by midnight-ish the results start coming in. In some places like highlands & islands it takes longer (transport and weather) but usually by 4am–ish everything is fully counted and announced. Its unusual to still be going at it after 5/6 am. And yes - we’ve had some very close races lately.
My confusion is, its not really that different to how its done in Mississippi. How is it possible to still be counting votes 3 days later??
I’ve been keeping an eye on the news but I’m finding it difficult to get a clear answer. What the hell is taking so long???
Because of a voter-suppression effort that used unverified credit data to delete voter registration since the primaries:
https://desotocountynews.com/mississippi-news/secretary-of-state-ignored-demands-to-reinstate-voters-inactivated-by-unverified-experian-data-days-before-midterms-harm-is-falling-on-eligible-voters/ https://mississippitoday.org/2026/11/02/red-flag-voter-inactivations-surge-in-midterms-since-secretary-of-state-adopted-unverified-experian-data-to-clean-voter-rolls/
So when people got to the polls, they were told that they had been deregistered. And they would only be allowed to sign ‘affadavit ballots’.