Zach Montellaro for Politico:

Ballots will be counted faster this year than in 2020 — but everyone should still be prepared for a long night, if not a couple days of waiting.

Fewer votes will be cast by mail compared with during the pandemic, and some states have tweaked their laws to speed up the count. The single biggest factor that will determine when Americans know the winner is, however, out of the control of election workers: the margin of victory in key states.

And this year’s close election means the last ballot could be determinative — which means waiting.

“It should be sooner, but also be patient,” said Barb Byrum, the Ingham County, Michigan, clerk. “It takes time to make sure that we are still following our security and our procedures.”

Here are the three biggest factors that will decide when the next president could be known….