When the mail in ballots get to Harrisburg...

[TreasonousBastard]

1. No idea how PA does it, but probably not too far from NY...

Elections here are run by the counties, with overview by the state.

An absentee ballot is delivered to the county election bureau. From there it is secured until election day and then either counted at the county offices or sent out to the poll it belongs to and counted there (often up to the county which to do).

Counted ballots are then secured for however long the law requires, which will be at least until any chance of a recount.

We have never found any major election fraud (at least not in my lifetime) that could have affected the outcome of the Presidential election, and presidential recounts are expensive and rare since it would be unusual that an individual county could affect a statewide election.