Politics

Officials Emphasize Secure And Accurate Results In Nail-Biter Election

Jim Watson, Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Andrew Trunsky Political Reporter
Font Size:

What has unfolded as a nail-biter of an election has likely come down to Michigan and Pennsylvania, but state election officials emphasized that results are being reported accurately and securely.

Though President Donald Trump led most of election night in Wisconsin and Michigan, Democratic nominee Joe Biden overtook him in both states Wednesday as early and mail-in votes were tabulated in urban and suburban areas across both states. In Pennsylvania, which was expected to take the longest to count its votes, Trump still leads, preliminary results from the New York Times show.

With 92% reporting in Michigan, Biden leads Trump by approximately 34,000 votes, respectively. In Pennsylvania, Trump leads Biden by just under 500,000 votes with 79% of the vote reporting, according to AP results.

Biden won Wisconsin by just over 20,000, the Associated Press reported Wednesday afternoon. Earlier Wednesday, the Trump campaign officially requested a recount in Wisconsin.

Though Trump suggested that the disappearance of his leads in Wisconsin and Michigan were due to “surprise ballot dumps,” there have been no recent reports of voter fraud in the states.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said Wednesday that the state has “many secure protocols in place” across the state and that voters can “trust the results as an accurate reflection of the will of the people,” adding that officials will review vote counts before the results are officially certified.

Meagan Wolfe, Wisconsin’s chief election official, emphasized Wednesday that the state’s reporting has gone according to its laws, and that “municipal and county clerks have worked tirelessly throughout the night to make sure every valid ballot is counted and reported accurately,” adding that they will soon begin the process of “triple-checking the results.” (RELATED: Here’s When To Expect Results On Election Night)

“Every step of the election process was publicly observable,” Wolfe said.

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Bookvar described the state’s reporting of results as “incredibly smooth,” and credited local and state elections officials, the Department of Homeland Security and others for ensuring that “voter intimidation or other issues” did not occur at the polls.

Regardless of the eventual outcomes, recounts and legal challenges in multiple states are likely, according to recent reports.

In Wisconsin and Michigan, any candidate can request a recount once results are certified, while in Pennsylvania any three qualified electors can do so, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Officials in each state did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.