As of Nov. 7, at 2 a.m. EST, the presidential election has yet to be concluded. Biden still holds a modest lead over President Trump, with 264 electoral votes in his favor. Trump, in comparison, has only obtained 214.
The race has shifted with the flip of two key battleground states: Georgia and Pennsylvania.
“We’re going to win this race,” said Biden on Friday night in Delaware. In a turn of events, Biden gained the upper hand in Georgia. With a mere .1% lead, Biden has 2,456,845 total votes—4,000 more votes than Trump. Georgia has not turned blue since 1992, when Bill Clinton won the vote. Analysts credit Stacey Abrams, a former House representative, for assisting the high voter turn-out.
Abrams was dedicated to fighting voter suppression after losing a race for governor in 2018. She added over 800,000 new voters in Georgia, mainly people of color and minority groups.
In addition to Abrams, many analysts and citizens have named Clayton County of Georgia an awe-inspiring symbol of democracy. Clayton County is a portion of Georgia’s Fifth District–which was also the district of the late civil rights activist John Lewis, who recently passed this summer. This county has become the tipping point for Georgia, as it gave Biden a slim lead through mail-in ballots.
Some 800 miles north, another chapter is added to Pennsylvania’s state history. With a .4% edge in his home state, Biden has pulled ahead of Trump with nearly 30,000 more votes. Pennsylvania holds 20 electoral votes, and if won, will push Biden over the necessary number in order to win the presidency. Although Pennsylvania has not completed counting, the new projections have now made it more difficult for Trump to regain presidency.
With the flipping of these two states, tensions continue to rise over mail-in ballots. From threatening crowds outside polling centers to court threats, this election has frustrated both parties. As a result, Secretary of the State of Georgia Brad Raffensperger promised a recount of the ballots to ensure democracy. “The stakes are high and emotions are high on all sides. We will not let those debates distract us from our work. We will get it right, and we will defend the integrity of our elections,” stated Raffensperger in a press conference earlier on Friday.
With the recount, the final results will not be announced until sometime next week. Besides for Alaska–which will most likely nominate Trump–all key battleground states are near 90% of total ballot collection. The battleground state with the lowest amount of ballots counted is Nevada, which is at 87% still. Nevada seems to be leaning towards nominating Biden.
With the final count still ongoing, Americans and the world impatiently wait in anticipation for the verdict. Tensions continue to boil over and the actions of the two candidates highlight the polarization the nation faces. As for now, Americans still hold their breath as each vote is counted–whether we want to keep waiting or not.
