Election Results Update
The 2020 election vote count continued into Friday in several key states that have been inundated with mail-in ballots. Democratic nominee Joe Biden had taken a small lead in the state of Georgia, which then turned into an even tie within less than 1 percentage point of 96% of all votes counted. The Governor of the state announced early Friday afternoon there will be a recount, where 16 electoral votes are at stake. President Trump has a slight lead in the highly contested state of Pennsylvania where Biden is inching closer to the win. Outstanding ballots are still being counted in several crucial locations including Pittsburgh as well as Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs.
With 20 Electoral College votes at stake, the Keystone State could very well put Joe Biden in the White House, adding to his currently projected total of 253, which would exceed the necessary 270 votes for former Vice President Biden to become the next President of the United States. President Trump currently stands at a projected 213 electoral votes, which means he needs more than Pennsylvania to win re-election. Biden maintains leads in Arizona and Nevada, where several networks have projected the win. If Biden sweeps all four battleground states, it would put him well over the top with 306 electoral votes.
The Trump campaign has initiated lawsuits in several states, including Wisconsin, where Biden is ahead by over 20,000 votes in the final tally. Trump is also suing in states where the final counts are not complete as he continues to claim election fraud at the dismay of the country in general and many Republicans in his own party, who believe his false allegations should stop along with his misinformation, which is only serving to cause more division and anxiety across the nation.
We are in an unprecedented election, where 2.5 million chose to vote by mail for pandemic-related safety reasons. Counting ballots by hand takes time, which is why the majority of elected and election officials are imploring patience so the tallies can properly be finalized.
Ann Sullivan is a contributing staff writer covering national and world news topics. She brings dedicated experience having written international and domestic news, blogs, and web content for over 20 years. She’s also a published poet and graphic designer with degrees in Business and Graphic Communications and has been a music distributor, music industry sponsorship sales director and band manager.