The 50 U.S. states span six different time zones — and, due to calendar quirks and congressional calls, they don't end neatly along state lines. In fact, over a dozen states officially contain multiple time zones (even if one only covers a handful of counties), according to USA Today:

Election Day is here, but the tallying itself might last longer than a single day. A winner is unlikely to be declared after the polls close tonight. That has happened before, and if it happens again,

The outcome of close races in the 2024 election, potentially including the presidential contest, might not be known for some time. Experts say there‘s no reason to worry if that’s the case. In fact, it‘s a sign the system is working the way it’s supposed to.