The American midterm elections have proved highly significant, though not necessarily in the way that various interested parties have claimed. One of the reasons they are still monopolising our attention is that the results are so close; the other reason is that so many results are still unknown. When the Trump-endorsed Kari Lake, gubernatorial candidate for Arizona, denounces the delay in vote counting in that state, with the implication that something fishy is going on, she is playing politics. Indignant electoral authorities insist that the delay reflects the scrupulous care with which each vote is being scrutinised, by Republican as well as Democratic officials.