“Absentee ballots are supposed to be counted in time for the election so that each election judge has an accounting of it in their precinct. Just in case the person voting absentee comes in, they can’t vote a second time.”
Generally, a person would get a provisional ballot that would be reserved and then crosschecked with absentee ballots.
I worked as an election judge for 5 presidential elections and when I would go to get my kit a couple days before the election, it was my job to go thru the list of the early and absentee voters and stamp them on the voter roll as having voted early. On election night is when all the votes are tabulated.
What is happening in the states having problems is a combination of fraud and people taking advantage of other people not knowing how it is supposed to be done.
Provisional ballots are not supposed to be added to the vote at all. They are of questionable status and that bag is not opened unless the vote is legally challenged. At that time the provisionals are opened and decided upon.
It makes me go bat crap crazy when I hear the dems demanding that the provisionals be added to the vote.