President Donald Trump and other Republicans have long criticized states that take weeks to count their ballots after Election Day. This year has seen a flurry of activity to address it.
Part of Trump's executive order on elections , signed in March but held up by lawsuits , takes aim at one of the main reasons for late vote counts: Many states allow mailed ballots to be counted even if they arrive after Election Day.
The U.S. Supreme Court last month said it would consider whether a challenge in Illinois can proceed in a case that is among several Republican-backed lawsuits seeking to impose an Election Day deadline for mail ballots.
At least three states - Kansas, North Dakota and Utah - passed legislation this year that eliminated a grace period for receiving mailed ballots, saying they now need to be in by Election Day.
Even in California, where weekslong vote counting is a frequent source of frustration and a target of Republican criticism , a bill attempting to speed up the process is moving through the Democratic-controlled Legislature.