[specialist]

Please contact your local election administrator and observe the central count. It's open and public and absolutely needs to more independent eyeballs.

For a start, postal ballot processing is way more complicated. Your jurisdiction should have an explainer online for local rules and procedures. Something like this: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/elections/education-and-out...

Just from memory, quickly, but YMMV:

  receive ballots in bins (1-400 per)
  sort ballots by precinct (hopefully)
  verify signatures (huge task)
  open outer envelope
  remove ballots
  archive outer envelopes
  scan ballots
  archive ballots

Each and every step has numerous error conditions which must be handled. Adds a lot of overhead.

Plus training of legions of workers. Plus care and feeding of the gear (it breaks). Plus normal workplace safety and security.

Ad nauseam.

Again, please tour your jurisdiction's central count, and bonus points for observing during the actual election. Legendary points for attending the election canvasing board meetings, which adjudicate all the problems that arise and eventually certify the results.

Happy hunting.