Polls close at 8 p.m. but the results of absentee ballots will likely not be posted until the early morning hours Wednesday.

After election offices receive completed mail-in ballots, workers will typically check that a voter’s signature on the envelope matches the signature on the voter’s record, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Various state rules regarding when election officials can process and count mail ballots means it will likely take some time after Election Day before the results from these ballots are fully known.