1. Why don't all polls close at exactly the same time?

The US electoral system is decentralized, and so jurisdictions vary in procedures and policy.

2. What do poll workers at each site have to do once voting is complete in order for votes to be counted?

They have to make sure there aren't extra or missing ballots.

3. In what ways are the actual vote counts delivered from actual polling places to the central location of election administration?

They are delivered by phone, modem, or hand.

4. Why might the votes come in slower from rural areas?

They might have to deliver by hand.

5. Why might journalists be the first source of election results in some states but not in all states?

Some states get results faster than journalists and others don't.

6. Why may absentee ballots slow the official election results?

They are counted after regular voting.

7. What are provisional ballots?

They are "just in case" votes, for if there is trouble at their voting place.

8. Why are the official results made public much later than when the election is "called"?

The official report comes weeks later.

9. Why was the speed of getting election results emphasized during the Progressive Era?

Speed was seen as a deterrent to fraud.