Why did Alaska results and counting process take so long

With three electoral votes, Alaska’s counting process has always been slow due to state’s sprawling geography.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday won the election in the state of Alaska and the Republican Party also retained the senate seat, giving the party 50 seats in the 100-member US senate.

The vote counting process has always been slow in Alaska as officials count absentee ballots that arrive within 10 days of election day as long as they’re postmarked by then. (Reuters)

“President Trump and Senate Republicans win Alaska, overwhelmingly and by a massive 20 point spread!” Ivanka Trump, daughter of Trump and a presidential advisor, said in a tweet.

When the election was called in Alaska, Trump had received 56.9 per cent of the total votes counted and President-elect Joe Biden got 39.1 per cent. After gaining Alaska, Trump’s tally of electoral college votes has increased to 217. Biden has already been declared winner with 279 of the 538 electoral college votes but Trump has refused to concede and has filed lawsuits in multiple states, challenging election results.

What is the process for counting of votes in Alaska?

The counting process has always been slow in Alaska due to state’s sprawling geography. Officials count absentee ballots that arrive within 10 days of election day as long as they’re postmarked by then. If the ballots are coming from outside the US, they’re given 15 days to arrive as long as they have the appropriate postmark. Once a properly postmarked ballot arrives, the state checks to make sure it isn’t a duplicate; because of this Alaska doesn’t begin counting mail-in ballots until well after election day. A similar process is also used in Pennsylvania.

What about the Senate and House races in Alaska?

President Trump has not only gained the three electoral votes of Alaska but the competitive race in the senate and the house of representatives has also been won by the Republican party. Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan won against Al Gross, an independent who was endorsed by state and national democrats. The race was much talked about as there were leaked videos of mining executives and a dispute over whether Gross had actually killed a bear. In the house race, GOP Don Young — the longest-serving member of congress, having represented the state since 1973 — won against democrat-backed independent Alyse Galvin.

Which are the other states in which counting is still underway?

North Carolina and Nevada are still counting the votes. Georgia will re-count all paper ballots cast by hand, a mammoth task that might be completed by November 20.