While people around the country are understandably interested in the identity of the $2bn grand prize winner, we may have a while to wait before we know any details at all about the individual, as the California State Lottery website notes that winners have a year to claim their prize.

However, the name of the winner will eventually be released in accordance with California’s Public Records Act, USAToday reports. In addition to the individual’s name, the winnings, “including the gross and net installment payments, are all subject to disclosure,” the outlet states.

As updates about both the Powerball winner and the Midterm Elections continue to trickle in, some have questioned why the counting of votes takes significantly longer than the time it takes to identify the time and place a winning ticket was sold.

“It’s weird that they can track the wining ticket down to the location of sale and the exact time of purchase and how many winners within 30 minutes of drawing the numbers but our elections! It takes days, weeks or months to determine a winner! Fix the process,” one person tweeted.

As for the “technical” difficulties that held up Monday night’s drawing earlier this week, it has since been revealed that Minnesota was the state behind the delay.

The lottery said the delay was due to issues with its sales verification due to “unprecedented lottery interest,” according to The Hill.

“The delay was necessary to confirm the Powerball drawing could be conducted securely and accurately,” the lottery stated. “At no time was the integrity of the process compromised.”

The explanation comes after the Multi-State Lottery Association said the delay was caused by one of the 48 participating lotteries, but did not specify which state. “This has happened a few rare times before - just not when the jackpot was at a newsworthy amount,” the lottery association said while announcing the delay.

While we still don’t know anything about the lucky individual who won the Powerball jackpot, we do know details about the man who sold the winning ticket - who now happens to be a millionaire himself.

According to The Los Angeles Times, Joseph Chahayed, 75, is the owner of the gas station in Altadena, California, where the winning ticket was sold. As a result, Chahayed received his own cheque for $1m, a Powerball bonus awarded by lottery officials.

As for what he plans to do with the money, Chahayed said he plans to share the money with his family, including his 11 grandchildren.

As curiosity over the winner’s identity continues, some have joked that the “real” winner of the $2.04bn Powerball jackpot is the IRS, as the individual with the winning ticket will receive just $627.5m after taxes if they choose to accept their winnings in a lump sum cash prize.

“The winner of the $2bn Powerball jackpot nets $627.5m after taxes. The real jackpot winner is the IRS,” one person joked on Twitter, prompting another person to respond: “The IRS thanks you for your lottery contributions.”

As of Wednesday morning, the winner of the $2bn Powerball grand prize had yet to come forward and claim their earnings.

Nothing is known about the winner other than they bought the ticket from Joe's Service Center in Altadena, Southern California.

New reports indicate that there are still plenty of people who can be excited with the most recent Powerball drawing, even if they haven’t won the grand prize.

A third prize, a whopping $50,000, has been won by many people around the country. The Maine Lottery says there were two $50,000 winners who have yet to collect whle New York says they sold 20 third-prize winning tickets, each worth $50,000.

For a full list of where each of these tickets were sold, you can check New York locations here and Maine locations here.

The owner of the shop where a record $2.04bn Powerball jackpot was sold has become a millionaire after receiving a maximum Powerball bonus of $1m.

The win comes after more than three months without anyone hitting the top prize.

The winning ticket was sold at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, Southern California. The owner of the shop, Joe Chahayed, has also won a maximum Powerball bonus of $1m.

“I’m very surprised. Very excited. Very happy,” said Mr Chahayed.

Sravasti Dasgupta reports.

As the winning Powerball ticket was announced on Election Day, social media users have been using the news as a way to encourage people to vote.

Twitter users are expressing their shock about how there was only one ticket that matched the six Powerball numbers, which were needed to win the $2.04bn prize.

“There was a single powerball winner,” one wrote. “A. Single. Winner. Instant billionaire. That’s going to absolutely ruin somebody’s life.”