Americans headed to the polls on Tuesday in one of the most bitterly fought elections in US history and by Wednesday, it was clear to the nation that the election is going to be a long draw.
So far, Democratic Candidate Joe Biden has 238 electoral votes while President Donald Trump has 213; a candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.
The race has been much closer than the landslide victory that many expected Biden to sweep. Also, the Democrats failed to capture the Senate as was widely expected even though Democratic candidates raised more funding than their Republican counterparts – some US$1.3billion.
Even though many battleground states remain too close to call, Trump has baselessly claimed victory. He has also claimed without evidence that there has been a “fraud on the American public” and threatened to challenge results at the Supreme Court, reports The Guardian.
Election officials in Wisconsin are expected to announce results. However, Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan may need several days to complete counting. Absentee ballots that have not yet been counted are expected to skew towards Biden.
Biden has been declared the winner of Arizona and its 11 electoral votes, limiting Trump’s path to victory. With Arizona in his column, Biden could potentially afford to lose Pennsylvania and still win the election if he carries Wisconsin and Michigan.
Trump has won Florida with its 29 electoral college votes, dealing a blow to Biden.
Biden addressed supporters shortly after Florida was called for Trump, saying, “I believe we’re on track to win this election.” Speaking in Delaware, he said, “We knew this was going to be long,” but “we feel good about where we are.”
Polls have closed in all 50 states and results have been called in 39 states so far.
States to have been called so far for Biden include Arizona, Minnesota, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington state.
Those called for Trump include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming, reports The Guardian.