Key states continue to count election ballots as winner remains undetermined
While projected results for the 2020 presidential election continue to be reported, the winner of the race remains unknown.
As of 10:30 p.m. yesterday, the Associated Press (AP) has projected that former Vice President Joe Biden will also win Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona in addition to the previously projected 19 states and District of Columbia for a total of 264 electoral votes. Additionally, he is projected to have the lead in Nevada.
President Donald J. Trump stands at 214 electoral votes and has not been projected to win any additional states since this morning, but is currently leading in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia.
There have been discrepancies between media sites regarding the total number of electoral votes projected for each candidate as updated vote totals continue to be reported.
The New York Times has yet to name a projected winner for Arizona unlike AP and is reporting that Biden has 253 electoral votes while Trump has 214.
As states continue to count their remaining ballots, there is potential for vote totals to change quickly between both candidates, according to The Guardian. Because different parts of the state may have different political leanings, results might be reported at different times.
Nevada Deputy Secretary of State Wayne Thorley said they expect to release Nevada’s next set of election results at approximately noon today, according to CBS News. It is currently unknown when other key states are expected to update their results.
Additionally, Trump has filed lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia today to demand that campaign observers have better access to areas where ballots are being processed and counted, according to AP.
Following the announcement of these lawsuits, there have been incidents at ballot-counting locations, such as in Detroit, where crowds have gathered to try and stop the counting process.
He is also seeking a recount in Wisconsin, according to The New York Times. Wisconsin law states that a recount can be requested as long as the margin between the top two candidates is less than one percent.
Regardless of when all of the ballots are counted, a winner will not be officially determined until Dec. 14, when electors are set to cast their votes.
The Electoral College consists of 538 delegates, a number which represents the number of U.S. Senators, 100, the number of U.S. Representatives, 435, plus an additional three additional electors for the District of Columbia, according to USA Today.
Each elector casts their ballot for president and vice president and is typically expected to vote along the same lines as what was projected within their respective state, according to the article. But, there is potential for “faithless electors,” who may vote against their state and alter the expected number of electoral votes for each candidate.
This practice is largely uncommon and typically does not change the outcome, but was attempted by 10 electors during the 2016 election, according to the article. Additionally, a total of 32 states plus the District of Columbia have laws in place to prevent members of the Electoral College from voting faithlessly.
