What goes into the tallying process?
The last day to vote in the 2020 general election is Nov. 3. But ballots may not be counted for several days, if not weeks, after that date, experts said.
Due to an anticipated record amount of mail-in voting this election season, combined with ballot counts that won't start until Election Day in most states, election officials across the country could be overwhelmed in some cases.
Deadlines for receiving mail-in ballots also extend past Nov. 3 in several states, all but making it a given that votes will be recorded in the days or even weeks after the election.
"I buy that we're going to know quite a bit on election night … we could even get an election night call. Still, I would advise caution. If it does come down to the Midwest, we could be waiting for a long time," Nate Silver, editor-in-chief of FiveThirtyEight, said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday,
The issue of mail-in ballot receipt deadlines is also fraught with legal challenges -- some of which are still playing out in court with less than two weeks to go until the general election.
Despite these new complexities, experts are confident voters' ballots will be counted this election season.
Here's a general look at what it takes to tally up the votes of millions of citizens.