I never saw the rush. You USA'ians vote on 4 November, and Inauguration is not until January 20. Can't you afford to spend a day or two on getting the results right rather than fast?
It was. But even with "waiting until after the election to know who won" you want to know who won by breakfast the next day. Would anything actually go wrong if you waited a day or three?
Akin to how in Chicago we say, "Vote early, and vote often!"