So...the vital question becomes, when do they *start* counting absentee ballots? And there's two components to that question:
1. When do they start processing the ballots (taking them out of the envelope, inspecting the ballot to make sure it's filled out correctly, flattening it out so that it will feed properly into the tabulator, and putting them in stacks to be processed more efficiently)
2. When do they start the actual counting by feeding the ballots into the counting machines?
Obviously, a well-run election would process them as early as possible and then either start tabulating them early (and keep the vote tally secret and secure) or tabulate them on Election Day. Because of paranoia and partisan shenanigans, the answer is yet again a patchwork of different answers for each state. I really need to put together a table to bring all this data together in an easy to read format, but the SMF implementation of tables makes my eyes hurt. So have another list:
Alabama: Processing starts midnight 11/3, counting starts 7am 11/3.
Alaska: Processing started 10/27, counting starts 8pm 11/3.
Arizona: Processing started 10/20, counting started 10/20.
Arkansas: Processing started 10/27, counting starts 8:30am 11/3.
California: Processing started 10/5, counting starts 8pm 11/3.
Colorado: Processing starts upon receipt, counting started 10/19.
Connecticut: Processing started 10/27, counting starts 11/3.
Delaware: Processing starts 10/30, counting starts 10/30.
District of Columbia: Processing date not specified by law, counting starts 8pm 11/3.
Florida: Processing started 10/12, counting started 10/12.
Georgia: Processing starts upon receipt, counting starts 7am 11/3.
Hawaii: Processing starts upon receipt, counting started 10/24.
Idaho: Processing starts upon receipt, counting starts 8pm 11/3.
Illinois: Processing starts within 2 days of receipt, counting starts 7pm 11/3.
Indiana: Processing starts upon receipt, counting starts midnight 11/3.
Iowa: Processing starts 11/2, counting starts 11/3.
Kansas: Processing data not specified by law, counting date not specified by law but "final tabulation shall not be completed until Election Day"
Kentucky: Processing started 9/21, counting starts "once all absentee ballots have been processed"
Louisiana: Processing date not specified by law, counting "may begin before Election Day but no later than 8pm on Election Day"
Maine: Processing starts 10/30, counting starts 8pm 11/3.
Maryland: Processing date not specified by law, counting started 10/1.
Massachusetts: Processing starts upon receipt, counting starts 8pm 11/3.
Michigan: Processing starts 11/2 "in cities and townships with at least 25,000 people", 11/3 elsewhere. Counting starts 11/3.
Minnesota: Processing started 10/27, Counting starts 8pm 11/3.
Mississippi: Processing starts 7am 11/3, counting starts 7pm 11/3.
Missouri: Processing starts 10/29, counting starts 7pm 11/3.
Montana: Processing starts upon receipt, counting starts 11/2.
Nebraska: Processing started 10/26, counting starts 8am CST 11/2.
Nevada: Processing starts upon receipt, counting starts 10/19.
New Hampshire: Processing starts 1pm 11/3, counting starts after close of polls on 11/3.
New Jersey: Processing starts upon receipt, counting started 10/24.
New Mexico: Processing started 10/20, counting started 10/20.
New York: Processing starts 11/3, counting starts 9pm 11/3.
North Carolina: Processing date not specified by law, counting started 10/20.
North Dakota: Processing starts 11/2, counting starts after close of polls on 11/3.
Ohio: Processing date not specified by law, counting date not specified by law ("absentee ballots may be scanned prior to the election")
Oklahoma: Processing date not specified by law, counting date not specified by law ("prior to Election Day with approval by the secretary of the state election board")
Oregon: Processing started 10/27, counting started 10/27.
Pennsylvania: Processing starts 7am 11/3, counting starts 7am 11/3.
Rhode Island: Processing started 10/20, counting starts 8pm 11/3.
South Carolina: Processing starts 9am 11/2, counting starts 9am 11/3.
South Dakota: Processing date not specified by law, counting starts 7pm 11/3.
Tennessee: Processing starts upon receipt, counting starts 11/3.
Texas: Processing starts upon receipt, counting starts when polls open on 11/3, except in jurisdictions with more than 100,000 people in which case counting can begin at the end of the early voting period.
Utah: Neither processing or counting dates are specified by law.
Vermont: Processing starts 11/2, counting starts 11/2.
Virginia: Processing date not specified by law, counting starts 11/3.
Washington: Processing starts upon receipt, counting starts 8pm 11/3.
West Virginia: Processing starts 11/3, counting starts 11/3.
Wisconsin: Processing starts 7am 11/3, counting starts 7am 11/3.
Wyoming: Processing starts 11/3, counting starts 11/3.
Couple more takeaways:
1. Several states are well ahead of the game and should be sitting comfortably ready to report results on Election Night -- New Jersey, Montana, Oregon, Hawaii, Colorado, Arizona, Delaware, Florida for example.
2. Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are going to be an absolute shitshow. PA has already gotten back 1.7 million ballots out of 3 million requested, and they're going to have to wait till the morning of the election to even open the envelopes. WI has 1.1 million ballots returned of 1.78 million requested, same issue.
3. New York and Texas, although they have similarly draconian timelines, are less of a problem because far fewer people are using mail-in ballots there (422K requested in NY, 877K in Texas).
4. Although it seems like a lot of states are leaving themselves with very little time to do this, bear in mind that 2020 is an extraordinary election in a number of ways. Most states typically see absentee mail-in ballot counts that are 1/10th of the numbers they're seeing now.