US Election: Biden, Trump Fight over Counting Ballots
The U.S. presidential election remains unsettled Thursday as election officials press forward with vote-counting in battleground states.
Former Vice President Joe Biden is leading in the western states of Arizona and Nevada. President Donald Trump is ahead in North Carolina and Alaska.
Trump’s lead in Pennsylvania and Georgia, however, continues to shrink as election officials start to count mail-in ballots and early votes. Many Democrats chose to vote by mail and voted early during the coronavirus health crisis. And Biden’s campaign said they expect to win the majority of the remaining votes.
In Georgia, Trump’s lead fell to about 3,600 on Thursday with 19,000 ballots still to count. In Pennsylvania, Trump’s lead dropped to under 64,000 as officials counted mail-in ballots.
Demonstrators hold signs during a march to “Count Every Vote, Protect Every Person” on the day after the US Presidential Election in Seattle, Washington on November 4, 2020.Biden is leading with 253 Electoral College votes on Thursday. Trump has 214. A victory for Biden in Pennsylvania, or two other remaining states, will give him the 270 Electoral College votes required to win the presidency.
Across the nation, Biden has received more than half of the votes that have been counted. He has more than 73 million votes, a record amount in American elections. Trump has about 69 million votes.
As the votes continue to move toward Biden, Trump wrote on Twitter, “STOP THE COUNT!”
The president came out late in the day saying that he had won the election until officials start counting the mail-in ballots. He said, “If you count the legal votes I easily win. If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us.”
Trump did not provide evidence of the existence of illegal votes or other claims of wrongdoing.
Earlier in the day, Biden told supporters in Wilmington, Delaware to be patient and to stay calm. He said, “We have no doubt that when the count is finished Sen. Harris and I will be declared the winners. So, I ask everyone to stay calm — all people to stay calm.”
Trump’s campaign also opened legal actions in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia and wanted a recount of the votes in Wisconsin. Judges in Georgia and Michigan quickly dismissed Trump’s campaign lawsuits there on Thursday.
I’m Caty Weaver.
Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.