Election Day was last Tuesday (November 3rd). This past Saturday Joe Biden was officially declared President-elect after winning Pennsylvania’s electoral college. The vote counting process was hectic to say the least. The country was in limbo for a couple of days, waiting for an official winner to be announced.
On election night Biden’s performance concerned many Democrats. Based on polling, Biden was expected to comfortably outperform President Trump. However, Biden’s performance was not nearly as strong as expected in many key battleground states. Florida, an important swing state, was one of the states that brought an early cause for concern for the Democratic party. Ultimately, the state went red due to Miami-Dade county’s support of President Trump. This outcome led many political analysts to believe that Trump may actually win re-election.
However, as Tuesday night progressed into Wednesday morning, the momentum of the election shifted again– this time in Biden’s favor. Wisconsin and Michigan were called for Biden on Wednesday. Additionally, he took the lead in many important swing states, such as Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. He slowly but surely closed the gap between himself and President Trump in all of these states. Many political analysts then began to predict that Biden would win these states because the votes that had yet to be counted were mail-in ballots from predominantly Democratic districts. The influx of mail-in ballots in this election was a result of the ongoing pandemic and made the counting process more drawn out than in past elections.
Patience was of the utmost importance during this tedious and nerve-racking process. Americans did not know the official results of the election until four days after election day. Additionally, considering how close this election was, recounts were and still are something Americans should be prepared for.
President Trump added to the already stressful nature of the election by declaring that the counting process should stop after midnight on election day. He also relentlessly claimed that if he lost this election, it would only be because the Democrats “stole it” from him. Many Americans are still worried that President Trump has not officially conceded and accepted the outcome. Instead he has filed a variety of different lawsuits in the swing states he lost, hoping that a case will be taken by the Supreme Court and the election results will be reversed. Although this scenario is highly unlikely, people still worry because of the 2000 election and ultimate decision in Bush v. Gore.
However, as of right now, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on January 20th, 2021. After Biden’s victory was announced on Saturday morning, many joyful Americans took to the streets to celebrate this historic outcome. Not only were people relieved that Trump had been defeated, but Americans were also celebrating Kamala Harris as the first female vice president in our nation’s history. Kamala Harris is not only the first female vice president but she is also the first person of color to hold the title of vice president. Overall, this win was a step in the right direction for our country as well as a relief to many Americans who have been directly negatively impacted by Trump’s presidency.