By Brianna Bush / Managing Editor
The 2020 U.S. presidential election is one that will go down in the history books. Not only is this election taking place during a global pandemic, but the candidates could not be more different and many lives could change depending on the outcome of the votes counted.
Last night, both candidates spoke about their stance in the election, with President Donald Trump outright calling this election a big win for him, but this was before there was a projected win for the battleground states. Trump also took to Twitter and proclaimed his “early victory” as well as accusing poll workers and Democrats of election fraud.
“We are up BIG. but they are trying to STEAL the Election,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!”
There are many that are in support of Trump’s tweet, especially with so many of Trump’s tweets being censored. But many within the younger voter demographic are angered by Trump’s tweets and accusations. One of many Twitter users, @idiosyncratkluv, spoke their mind in response to Trump’s tweet.
“No s—. NO ONE IS CASTING VOTES AFTER NOV. 3rd!!! @realDonaldTrump Stop spreading you lies, inciting fear, and (attempting) to delegitimize American democracy!” @idiosyncratkluv wrote on Twitter.
Former Vice President and 2020 Presidential candidate Joe Biden also gave a speech last night, but contrary to Trump’s speech, Biden encouraged people not to lose hope and to keep in good spirits. He did not claim victory, unlike Trump.
According to NBC News, Trump “made a series of false and misleading claims about the 2020 election and vote-counting processes early Wednesday morning, ranging from how he’s fared so far in the race to what will happen next.”
He claimed to have won states that were not yet called, and he claimed that a group of people were trying to disenfranchise Trump voters. A few states that he claimed victory over were Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan. As of this afternoon, Google and AP News have reported Wisconsin, Arizona and Michigan as projected Biden wins.
As of 2:43 p.m., Biden has claimed 248 electoral votes and Trump with 214, leaving 76 electoral votes still to be counted. Currently, Americans are still waiting to hear back on votes from Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Alaska.
Unfortunately, Americans might not know the result of Georgia’s ballot count because of a pipe burst in Fulton County, Georgia. The Fulton County location held many of the state’s mail–in ballots.
“There was a pipe that burst in the room where we actually had ballots; thank goodness that none of those ballots were damaged,” county election official Dwight Brower told The New York Post.
Many of the votes being counted currently are those who submitted absentee ballots or utilized mail–in ballots due to the coronavirus. The New York Times reported there was a record-breaking 64 million mail–in ballots and an even bigger turnout for early voting, reaching 100 million people who turned out for early voting. This broke the last election’s entire voter turnout.
Biden, like Trump, utilized Twitter as a platform to reach voters and supporters.
“To make sure every vote counts, we’re setting up the largest election protection effort ever assembled,” Biden wrote. “Donald Trump doesn’t get to decide the outcome of this election — the American people do.”
As the numbers continue to come in, The Stylus will continue to update.
