Vote counting in the 2024 US election was faster than usual. Several states had already been called for one candidate or another before midnight EST. Except, as is often the case, in Nevada, one of the swing states and critical to the final outcome of the vote.

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Despite offering only six Electoral College votes, Nevada is one of the battleground states because of its historical tendency to lean toward either color in the latter part of the count.

In 2020, it was essential for Joe Biden to certify his victory over Donald Trump, although he did it with less than 32,000 votes difference. By the same token, because of its late count that can fall either way at the last minute, Nevada is a last-ditch push for a contender to victory..

Now, as in the past, Nevada has delayed the start of its vote counting process until after the polls have closed. After midnight EST, it was one of two states, along with Alaska, and the only one in the continental US, that had not yet counted its ballots. The map remained at zero, even two hours after the polls closed.

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The delay is blamed on a problem with the certification of ballots in Clark and Washoe counties. According to Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, many ballots from young voters bear signatures which did not match those on the ID cards. The irregular ballots total more than 700.

“Youngsters don’t have signatures today. This is the problem we have. When they register to vote through the automated system, they sign a digital pad that becomes their signature on their driver’s license,” Aguilar said.

The result in Nevada will take longer

According to AP, the final count in Nevada could take several days. In 2020, it ended three days after the election. The results were not validated until November 24, almost three weeks after the elections.

Before that, the Republican Party complained of “fraud” and reported that at least 3,000 ballots were found to be irregular, enough reason to push nullification of Nevada elections.

Several reports indicated that lines at polling stations were even longer after polls closed, which also contributed to screenings haven’t started yet.