Updates On The 2020 American Presidential Election

America’s 2020 presidential election is currently underway. 270 votes are required to determine which candidate will become president and move forward with the electoral process. However, Joe Biden, the current leading candidate, has earned only 264 electoral votes at the time of this writing. (His opponent has only 214 votes.) Therefore, the Associated Press has not announced the winner of the popular vote. Once the popular vote has been announced, each state’s electors will then cast their votes, determining the electoral college’s winner.

Several factors, including the pandemic, could explain the lagging votes. Voters fear that voting in person at their local polling places may expose them to the dangerously contagious coronavirus. As such, many voters have chosen to cast their ballots using the postal service. However, counting mailed-in ballots is slower than those cast in person because information must be verified. Officials must make absolutely sure that individuals do not cast the same vote more than once. Additionally, around half of the states will accept mailed-in ballots as long as the date on the stamp is not later than November 3, 2020. Thus, votes may continue arriving by mail for several days after the polls have officially closed.

Five states have yet to determine their votes: Alaska, Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Predictions indicate that Alaska and North Carolina will rule in favor of the Republican party, whereas Nevada and Pennsylvania will favor the Democrats.

In Georgia, Biden overtook his opponent with 1,097 votes – about 99% of the votes reported for that state. Georgia’s Democratic-leaning Clayton County could win Biden the election.

His opponent, Donald Trump, demands that there be a recount in Wisconsin and that voting cease in Georgia and Pennsylvania. This is based on an assumption that there are irregularities which may impact the validity of the votes. However, there is no legal evidence to support this claim. Recounting votes may also slow down the election process.

If Biden wins the election and becomes president, he will have to deliver a speech this Friday. The Secret Service is increasing its security detail in preparation. Nevertheless, election results are often unpredictable and may be subject to change. During America’s 2000 election, for example, candidate Al Gore was in the lead when the election was called, but a subsequent recount saw the loss of 500 votes and his defeat by opponent George W. Bush. Anything can happen during the presidential election.

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