Election Results

Megan Oravitz, Editor in Chief

On November 7th Joe Biden(D) was named president-elect, with 306 electoral votes over Donald Trump’s(R) 232. Joe Biden won 51.1 percent of the popular votes and more votes than any other presidential candidate in history.

With Pennsylvania being the state to finally get Biden over the threshold, his win began being projected Friday when swing states, states that could go either democrat or republican unpredictably, Michigan and Wisconsin switched favor. Saturday night after both CNN and Associated Press called the election, Biden made a public statement calling for unity of both parties. Trump has not done the same.

Wisconsin has since been recounted, and Trump claims widespread election fraud and therefore has yet to concede, even nearing the end of November. Wisconsin is one of seventeen states that have faced a total of thirty lawsuits from the Trump administration, with many being denied before trial in states such as Pennsylvania and Georgia.

As Biden prepares for the transition, naming cabinet members and creating a coronavirus task force, Trump has yet to publicly recognize the win. This means that Biden has not yet had access to funding, plans, or government data. As of November 23rd, progress began to be made as Emily Murphy, administrator of The General Services Administration, published a letter recognizing the start of a transition. A Trump appointee, Murphy herself is skeptical of the decision stating, “I do not think that an agency charged with improving federal procurement and property management should place itself above the constitutionally-based election process. I strongly urge Congress to consider amendments to the Act.”  Yet, the organization’s public recognition of Biden as president-elect, means he will begin to see government funding and continue his plans.