I work as an election clerk in Maine. And once the polls close, the votes are counted. Absentee ballots are brought to the ward by a city official. They are opened and counted on arrival, so several batches may arrive during the day. All absentee ballots must be at the ward by the time the polls close at 8 pm. At 8 pm plus a minute or, any remaining absentee ballots are run through the scanner and then the results are printed out. It take anywhere from one to two hours to finish everything, secure the ballots etc.
Sounds about right. I wonder why it isn’t that way in every polling area and state.