U.S. Presidential Election: Votes Still Being Counted, Final Result May Take Days
Americans who expected to go to sleep on night of Election Day knowing who won the presidential election have been disappointed. As has been widely predicted, it might take days to know the final results. As of early Wednesday morning, former Vice-President Joe Biden has a narrow lead of electoral votes over President Donald J. Trump, 227 – 213, per the New York Times while Fox News has Biden leading 238 – 213. President Trump, however, won some key battleground states: Ohio, Florida, and Texas, the later of which was believed to be in play for the Democrats.
Votes are still being counted in a number of key states, including Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia.
Shortly after midnight, President Trump tweeted “We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!” The tweet was flagged by twitter; the social media platform noted that “Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process.”
We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 4, 2020
As Fox News reports, President Trump declared victory in multiple key battleground states early Wednesday, even though it remained unclear who had the votes to win in those states. They report that Trump hinted the White House would push the Supreme Court to rule over disputed ballots, warning that a “very sad group of people” was trying to “disenfranchise” voters.
A number of Republicans condemned the President for his statements. Per the Washington Post, Chris Christie, the former Republican governor of New Jersey and a Trump ally, said on ABC News, “All these votes have to be counted that are in now. … Tonight was not the time to make this argument… I disagree with what he did tonight.”
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) tweeted at the president to “stop.” “Stop. Full stop. The votes will be counted and you will either win or lose. And America will accept that. Patience is a virtue.”
Stop. Full stop. The votes will be counted and you will either win or lose. And America will accept that. Patience is a virtue. https://t.co/iZr78QoPIH
— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) November 4, 2020
Per the Washington Post, several Fox reporters and pundits criticized Trump’s claim to victory before all the votes are counted. Dana Perino called it “deeply irresponsible,” while Juan Williams said it was “beyond the pale.”
The Washington Post also notes that Pennsylvania and Michigan, among other states, are in the processs of counting the millions of mail-in ballots and that this may take several days to complete.
