The 2024 US presidential election on November 5, featuring Democrat Kamala Harris facing Republican Donald Trump, may see a delayed result announcement due to the intricate vote counting process in key battleground states.

In the 2020 election, a 'red mirage' effect saw early leads by Trump turn into a 'blue shift' favoring Biden as mail and absentee ballots were counted later.

This was due in part to Democrats concentrating more in urban areas and utilizing mailed ballots, which take longer to count.

States like Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, among others, with differing ballot counting rules and high mail-in voting, are expected to experience similar delays in announcement of results.

Arizona, for example, votes predominantly by mail, but ballots dropped off on election day itself are only processed after polls close, affecting result timings.

Georgia's counting laws might initially favor Harris due to early voting, followed by a potential lead change with in-person tallies coming later.

Michigan and Nevada have revised their processes post-2020 to expedite the count, but mail-in votes and acceptance of late-arriving ballots might still prolong result declaration.

Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, with no advance processing of mail ballots until election morning, may again witness late shifts in voting trends that reflected 'blue shifts' in the previous election cycle.

This complex voting landscape underscores the potential for electoral delays and recounts in 2024, necessitating patience from the electorate as accurate and complete results are compiled.