Explained: Why counting votes in the United States is taking time to declare the winner?

Washington, Nov, 05: With the US election verdict still remained inconclusive with key swing states individually counting votes, here is why the world's oldest democracy counts their votes, and the reason behind the delay in the results.

It can be seen that all elections in the US, such as the federal, state, and local, are organised by the ruling governments of individual states.

According to reports, the US Constitution and laws grant the states wide latitude in how they administer elections, resulting in varying rules across the country.

In several US states, the responsibility of conducting elections falls on the state's secretary of state, a politician who in some states is directly elected and in others appointed by the state governor.

Though most US states allow the use of electronic methods, paper ballots are the norm across the country. Processing, that comes ahead of counting, involves checking signatures, verifying documentation, and perhaps even scanning the ballots. Counting votes is a separate, and later, process.

Each state has its own date for starting in-person or mail-in voting, deadline for receiving the mail-in ballots, processing the ballots, and tabulating votes.

With counting entering its third day in the United States, Indians on social media expressed their admiration for the Election Commission of India, attempting to draw a comparison between the two nations although the processes are quite different.