TCA 2-8-101
"no later than the second Monday after the election"

So when would we know who won?

Feb 5th at about 9PM probably. Officially, the 18th I guess.

Feb 5th at about 9PM probably. Officially, the 18th I guess.

So all the results, local and national, will not be disclosed until the absentee ballots are back? We will be in suspended animation, or suspended anticipation, or something.

No, I'm saying they will disclose what they have after the close of polls on Tuesday. They will count whatever absentee ballots they have then, too, and there will be "unofiicial" results, which is pretty much how it always works. They will just have to hold open the official final total until the 15th, and after that it's just the state rubber stamp making it official that won't come until the 18th. At least that's how I think it will work. Hopefully Greg will stop by and explain.

I hope it works that way.

Could there be some problem with calling the election before getting the absentees, which could result in some people just not sending them back? Like the problem the country had with networks predicting results with exit polls and affecting voter behavior in the other time zones.

Do the absentee voters have to have them postmarked by the fifteenth? Seems like if there's ever been an election where we want to do things exactly right, this is it.

Thanks. I just don't want a rerun of Groundhog Day on a local level.