I worked as a cook county election judge in the 04 primary, and we had the votes in in under 10 min after the polls closed. In 04 a computer automatically counted the votes as the day went along, so it won't be much faster.
This should be updated. Elections now (and increasingly, in future) depend on who writes the software.
(signed) Former 20-year veteran of writing software for the STL election board (AND writing verification software for it...all of it now useless). Ask Joe Neill, head of the election board in STL in 2000 (that was the year the Northsiders got a Northside judge to declare that Northside city polling places should remain open for 2 hours after the state Constitutional closing time, ok?).
He's been my personal attorney for decades, straightest shooter in the world, and he'll give you the whole story of that little fiasco -- which you didn't read in the LLSM, ever -- at your request. FReepmail me.