The world is watching as Election Day results have trickled in since Tuesday evening, when the majority of states took their pick between President Donald Trump and his challenger, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
But the several battleground states that are still counting votes will decide which candidate reaches the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election. Midwest and Rust Belt states are the deciding factors in who will be the next president.
As of Wednesday morning, Biden had won battleground Minnesota and its 10 electoral votes, but Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin remain undecided, along with Alaska, Nevada, North Carolina and Georgia. (RELATED: President Trump Takes Florida In 2020 Election As Biden Spirals Among Hispanic Voters)
Wisconsin:
Biden was leading in Wisconsin the morning after Election Day, with 97% of estimated votes counted and a lead of 20,697 votes. The state carries 10 electoral votes and would help solidify Biden’s lead in the crucial Midwest states. This would also flip the state after Trump won it in 2016 — the first Republican to do so since 1984, according to the New York Times.
What we know as of Wednesday morning:
• The Associated Press hasn’t called the presidential race
• Biden has established a lead in states that total the 270 electoral votes: Michigan, Wisconsin and a slim one in Nevada
• Votes are still being tallied https://t.co/NlPZHfKHBn— NPR (@NPR) November 4, 2020
Michigan:
With a 95% of estimated votes in, Biden leads Michigan with about 16,000 votes as of Wednesday morning. Biden’s lead is only expected to grow as the more than 150,000 absentee ballots are counted, according to the Detroit Free Press. The state was reliably Democratic until 2016, when Trump won it with the smallest margin in history. Michigan carries 16 electoral votes and is a battleground state that would help put Biden on track to win the election.
Pennsylvania:
With its 20 electoral votes, Pennsylvania has been considered the center of the election. However, it may require days to determine a winner due to the large quantity of mail-in ballots. Some jurisdictions in the state also paused counting until Wednesday morning, drawing the process out further. Pennsylvania allowed ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 to be accepted if they arrived up to three days after the election, and these votes are expected to favor Democrats. As of Wednesday morning, 78% of the estimated vote total showed Trump leading Biden by 542,774 votes.
Pennsylvania’s secretary of state says there are still “millions of ballots” that need to be counted.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) November 4, 2020
North Carolina:
Trump led North Carolina with 76,737 votes as of Wednesday morning with an estimated 95% of votes reported at that time, according to the Times. There remain more than 100,000 absentee ballots which have not yet been counted. The state carries 15 electoral votes.
Georgia:
With 92% of estimated votes reported, Trump was leading in Georgia as of Wednesday morning by 103,705 votes. Democrats have not carried Georgia in a presidential election since 1992, but the state has become a toss-up with outstanding ballots left to be counted in Democratic-leaning counties. The state offers 16 electoral votes.
Georgia secretary of state on NBC now saying that he doubts outstanding votes will be enough to flip any results
— Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) November 4, 2020
Nevada:
Biden led Nevada by 7,647 votes as of Wednesday morning, with 86% of estimated votes reported in. The state’s election division announced that mail ballots received on Election Day had not been counted as of Wednesday morning, and the division would not be providing further updates until 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, according to Newsweek. “Tens of thousands” of mail ballots were reportedly still left to be counted in Democratic-leaning Clark County, where Biden leads Trump by slightly more than 60,000 votes. The state carries six electoral votes.
Percentage of votes counted so far in states yet to be called:
???? Alaska – 45% in
???? Pennsylvania – 64%
???? Nevada – 67%
???? Maine – 85%
???? Georgia – 94%
???? North Carolina – 94%
???? Michigan – 95%
???? Wisconsin – 95%Here’s how that breaks down: https://t.co/Eug9y346mw
— NPR (@NPR) November 4, 2020
Arizona:
The Times reported Wednesday morning that there was an “error in a data feed from Edison Research” and that a previous version of results from Arizona showed an “incorrect amount of vote that had been counted.” The state had reportedly counted more than 95% of its votes but then the actual estimate was changed to 86% of the vote. Biden is still in the lead by 93,509 votes, but Trump could see a bump in numbers since the outstanding votes reportedly come from Republican-leaning counties. The state carries 11 electoral votes.
The latest plot twist comes from Arizona, which had reportedly counted 95%+ of its votes. NYT notes that “due to an error in an Edison Research data feed of results … the actual estimate is that 86% of the vote has been counted.”
— Jeff Dufour (@dcdufour) November 4, 2020
This gives some credence to the Trump camp’s argument in a call with reporters that it expects to pull ahead in Arizona, because most of the outstanding vote is in Trump-friendly territory.
— Jeff Dufour (@dcdufour) November 4, 2020
Alaska:
As of Wednesday morning, Trump led in Alaska by 35,241 votes, with 36% of estimated votes reported. At least 122,233 absentee and early votes will reportedly not be counted until at least the week after Election Day. That number is expected to rise as more ballots arrive by mail, according to Anchorage Daily News. Nov. 13 is the deadline for absentee ballots to reach the elections office. Alaska has not chosen a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964. The state carries three electoral votes.