Nope it’s ridiculous that 4 a.m eastern time a small state like Montant with under half million votes needs the pony express.
Well that’s a fair point - the votes are scattered far apart in MT and maybe AZ too. I personally believe votes should be counted first in the precinct, in front of an audience from the precinct. The numbers can then be sent to the state in bulk electronically or over the phone, then the ballots repacked in the sealed boxes before sending them to the central location for counting. Meanwhile people can see the tally and track the totals themselves knowing its all been done above board in front of citizens who care about a fair outcome.
Reduces odds of vote stuffing if everyone knows the tally of each precinct. Shouldn’t slow things down much at all as far as calling the elections; they just need to be re-verified per state law. But it would eliminate the “oh we found another box” type stuff that happens a bit too often in various ways. Like the 45,000 absentee votes in Wisconsin which just so happened to come from Milwaukee. Those should be counted first! And also in public eye.