The first election I remember was in 1980. They had the results throughout the 80's and 90's in a few hours and with the exception of 2000 (Florida) we didn't have these problems counting ballots until 2016. Now, it's every election. The media tells us at the beginning of the night to not believe the results coming in and that we will have to wait days to get the results.
The majority of big elections during the 80's and 90's weren't that close and easy for networks to call earlier.
For example, Reagan won 49 states in 1984 .
After 2000, the networks were reluctant to call it , until a 99% level of certainty was established .
Some state's election law does NOT allow the early or mail in votes UNTIL election day.
Florida ,for example , allows votes to be counted as they come in and can confirm the tally /result quicker .
PLUS, we've had several razor thin , close election with more total votes in recent years.
Remember , Bush V Gore in 2000 came down to aprox a 500 vote lead for Bush to carry Florida and win .
In 2016, Trump won the presidency by winning the electoral college but lost the popular vote nationwide by aprox 2 million votes .
His win was legit in 2016 but it came down to a few thousand votes in 3 states.
The nation is in separate political camps and highly tribal and polarized .
This forum is a clear example of that division .
