In one of the most emotionally draining and stressful elections of our lifetime, we still do not know who the next President of the United States will be. Donald Trump and Joe Biden need 270 Electoral Votes to claim the presidency, but neither has reached that number at the close of Election Day.
Currently, Joe Biden leads in the popular vote with over 68 million and the electoral college with 224 Electoral Votes. Donald Trump has over 65 million in the popular vote and 213 Electoral Votes.
Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Alaska, Arizona, North Carolina, Nevada, and Maine still have too close to call races. The impact of mail-in voting and early voting clearly affects this election as many of these states have yet to count them. Depending on the state, laws state votes could not be calculated until the polls closed on election day.
Absentee and mail-in votes tend to lean democratic and could favor Biden as President. Trump is already setting the stage for a legal battle. In an election night address, Trump called to halt vote counts saying, “This is a fraud on the American Public…We want the law to be used in a proper manner. So, we’ll be going to the supreme court. We want all voting to stop. We don’t want them to find any ballots at 4 am and add them to the list, okay?”
That statement is false as counting votes has continued past election day, and the process of counting votes is not considered fraud. He falsely claimed victory stating “they’ve” won Michigan, Pennsylvania, and then saying he won the election. Trump has repeatedly spread false information regarding the voting process on the campaign trail. While he is threatening to take this to the Supreme Court, the reality is he cannot stop votes from being counted and cannot go directly to the Supreme Court.
Perhaps what is most disturbing is that the race for President is so close. Over 65 million people in the United States of America voted for a President who has openly praised white supremacists, disparaged immigrants and minorities, and disrespected women.
The election night map was a clear indicator of the “soul” of this country. For many, America is exactly what we believed it was.
The President’s race isn’t over, and the American people must demand each vote be counted and that each candidate respects the process. For now, all eyes remain on these nine states ultimately will determine who the next President of the United States will be.
Danielle Sanders is a journalist and writer living in Chicago. Find her on social media at @DanieSandersOfficial.