U.S. election results live | Biden needs one more battleground State to win the White House

Two days after Election Day, neither candidate had amassed the votes needed to win the White House. But Joe Biden’s victories in the Great Lakes States left him at 264, meaning he was one battleground State away — any would do — from becoming President-elect.

Donald Trump, with 214 electoral votes, faced a much higher hurdle. To reach 270, he needed to claim all four remaining battlegrounds — Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia and Nevada.

With millions of votes yet to be tabulated, Mr. Biden already had received more than 71 million votes, the most in history. At an afternoon news conference on November 4, the former Vice-President said he expected to win the presidency but stopped short of outright declaring victory.

"I will govern as an American president,” Mr. Biden said. “There will be no red states and blue states when we win. Just the United States of America.”

The Trump campaign engaged in a flurry of legal activity to try to improve the Republican president’s chances and cast doubt on the election results, requesting a recount in Wisconsin and filing lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia. Statewide recounts in Wisconsin have historically changed the vote tally by only a few hundred votes; Mr. Biden led by more than 20,000 ballots out of nearly 3.3 million counted.

Dozens of Trump supporters chanting “Stop the count!” descended on a ballot-tallying centre in Detroit, while thousands of anti-Trump protesters demanding a complete vote count took to the streets in cities across the U.S. Protests — sometimes about the election, sometimes about racial inequality — took place Wednesday in at least a half-dozen cities, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis and San Diego.

Track live trends and results at our interactive map here.

 

Here are the live updates (all times IST):

Election observer says no evidence for Trump's fraud claims

The head of an international delegation monitoring the U.S. election says his team has no evidence to support President Donald Trump’s claims about alleged fraud involving mail-in absentee ballots.

Michael Georg Link, a German lawmaker who heads an observer mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, told German public broadcaster on Thursday that “on the election day itself, we couldn’t see any violations” at the U.S. polling places they visited.

Mr. Link said he was “very surprised” by Mr. Trump’s claims about postal ballot fraud because the United States has a long history of this method of voting going back to the 19th century. - AP

Biden needs one more battleground state to win the White House

Democrat Joe Biden was pushing closer to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to carry the White House, securing victories in the “blue wall” battlegrounds of Wisconsin and Michigan and narrowing President Donald Trump’s path.

With just a handful of states still up for grabs, Mr. Trump tried to press his case in court in some key swing states. It was unclear if any of his campaign’s legal maneuvering over balloting would succeed in shifting the race in his favor.

Two days after Election Day, neither candidate had amassed the votes needed to win the White House. But Biden’s victories in the Great Lakes states left him at 264, meaning he was one battleground state away - any would do - from becoming president-elect. - AP

Anti-Trump protesters demand to continue voting

Anti-Trump protesters in some cities demanded that vote counting continue. Police arrested 11 people and seized weapons in Portland, Oregon after reports of rioting, while arrests were also made in New York, Denver and Minneapolis. - Reuters

Wary China hopes for smooth ending amid grim forecast of ties

A wary China on Thursday hoped the presidential poll process in the U.S. would end smoothly and successfully and said that there is a room for cooperation between the two nations despite “some differences,” as observers forecast heightening of the rivalry between the top two economies no matter whoever emerges victorious.

The U.S. presidential election remains undecided, turning the nation’s attention to a handful of battleground states that continue to tabulate the crush of mail-in ballots that will decide whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden will be victorious.

"People are following closely, me included but it seems that the votes are still being counted and results have not come yet," China’s Vice-Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said at a media conference when asked to comment.

"We hope the election will proceed smoothly and successfully,” Le, a former Ambassador to India said, adding that there is a room for cooperation despite some differences . - PTI

Senate drive: Democrats spared a loss with Gary Peters' win

Democrats faced increasingly long odds as the the battle for Senate control hangs in balance, and Republicans brushed back multiple challengers to protect their majority. Still, it was too soon for the GOP to declare victory.

In Michigan, Democrats were spared a loss late on Wednesday when Sen. Gary Peters beat back a tough challenge from Republican John James. But Republicans held on to Susan Collins in Maine and other key seats across the map.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said President Donald Trump’s campaign helped his GOP allies, but that State election officials were still counting ballots. Key Senate races in North Carolina, Alaska and Georgia remained undecided. - PTI

Twitter, Facebook fail to corral Trump’s misinformation about U.S. vote count

As U.S. President Donald Trump and his allies flooded social media on Wednesday with false claims of victory and unsupported allegations of voter fraud, social media companies warned users that the presidential election had yet to be decided.

The posts on Twitter, Facebook and other sites are imposing a real-time test of Silicon Valley's much-touted rules on handling election misinformation and premature claims of victory.

But it is not clear whether the disclaimers and fact-checks, which often occur well after posts have been shared tens of thousands of times, are curbing the circulation of baseless claims. And in the case of Facebook, staff rewrote the rules regarding state victories on the fly.

Critics say that, in environments explicitly built to promote instant sharing and viral posts, bland disclaimers do not cut it.

 

Watch: Bernie Sanders predicts Trump's Election Day reaction

Almost two weeks after it was recorded, a video of Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders explaining how Donald Trump will react on Election Day has gone viral for it's eerily accurate prediction of the events unfolding now.

 

In an interview with comedian Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Sanders said that Trump is likely to claim victory before the counting of votes is complete.

"It could well be that at 10 o'clock on election night, Trump is winning in Michigan, he's winning in Pennsylvania, he's winning in Wisconsin, and he gets on the television, he says, 'Thank you, Americans, for re-electing me, it's all over, have a good day.' But then the next day, and the day following, all those mail-in ballots start getting counted, and it turns out Biden has won those States. At which point Trump says: 'See, I told you the whole thing was fraudulent, I told you those mail-in ballots were crooked. And I got — you know, we're not going to leave office'," he said.

Trump backers converge on vote centers in Michigan, Arizona

Dozens of angry supporters of President Donald Trump converged on vote-counting centers in Detroit and Phoenix as the returns went against him in the two key States, while thousands of anti-Trump protesters demanding a complete tally of the ballots in the still-undecided election took to the streets in cities across the U.S.

"Stop the count!” the Trump supporters chanted in Detroit. “"Stop the Steal,” they chanted in Phoenix.

The protests came as the President insisted without evidence that there were major problems with the voting and the ballot counting, especially with mail-in votes, and as Republicans filed suit in various States over the election.

The Phoenix protesters filled much of the parking lot at the Maricopa County election center, where sheriff’s deputies were guarding both the outside of the building and the counting inside.

 

Wearing Trump gear, members of the crowd chanted, “Fox News sucks,” in anger over the network declaring Joe Biden the winner in Arizona. - AP

 

Which States are still counting votes and when will they be done?

Here is the state of play in five states. The vote counts are supplied by Edison Research.

Alaska: Trump has a wide lead and is broadly expected to carry the State, which offers 3 electoral votes.

Georgia: Trump is holding on to a narrow lead, but several of the large counties around Atlanta that lean Democratic have substantial numbers of ballots still to count. With 95% of the expected vote counted, Trump is ahead. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said he hoped to have a result by the end of Wednesday.

Nevada: Long seen as a solid Biden-leaning state, Nevada now appears in play. State officials expect the remaining votes — largely mail-in ballots — to be counted by 10.30 p.m. on Thursday. Clark County, the state's largest and home to Las Vegas, has tallied nearly 84% of expected votes so far and Biden is ahead there.

North Carolina: The margin between Trump and Biden is less than 2 percentage points. The state allows mail-in ballots postmarked by Tuesday to be counted if they are received by November 12. On Wednesday morning, the Biden campaign said it expected a final result to take several days, and state officials said later on Wednesday that a full result would not be known until next week.

Pennsylvania: Of the battleground states, Pennsylvania has the furthest to go in counting votes, and Trump so far maintains a lead. Officials there can accept mailed-in ballots up to three days after the election if they are postmarked by Tuesday. About 1 million votes remain to be counted, Governor Tom Wolf, a Democrat, said on Wednesday.

Biden has won more votes than any other presidential candidate in U.S. history, says report

Democratic nominee Joe Biden has won more votes than any other presidential candidate in the U.S. history, shattering a record set by former President Barack Obama, according to a media report.

As of November 4, Biden had got over 70.7 million votes, more than anyone who has ever run for President, the National Public Radio reported.

This count includes 300,000 more votes than what Obama got in 2008, which was the previous record. Biden surpassed the popular vote record of 69,498,516 set by Obama in 2008.

Biden, in a tight electoral vote fight to the White House against incumbent President Donald Trump, is 2.7 million votes ahead of the Republican leader in the popular vote. - PTI

Why did Florida Latinos turn up for Trump?

A wave of support from Hispanic voters gave President Donald Trump a narrow but decisive victory in Florida on Tuesday night, helping him secure the state that has long been seen as a bellwether battleground. A lot of the swing came in Miami-Dade, the county that contains Florida's largest Cuban and Venezuelan communities.

Many Americans of Cuban and Venezuelan backgrounds left countries that they considered were ruined by socialist policies. So when Trump and his allies painted opponent Joe Biden, a moderate Democrat, as either a socialist himself, or in hock to the “radical left,” that struck home, some Miami voters told Reuters.

Some election observers had thought that Trump's harsh stance on immigration, and his administration's treatment of asylum-seekers would hurt him more among those of Hispanic background.

But Latinos are a widely disparate group, and many hold religious or conservative views that chime with those of Trump. -Reuters

U.S. sets new record for increase in COVID-19 cases day after election

The United States set a one-day record for new coronavirus cases on Wednesday with at least 102,591 new infections and as hospitals in several states reported a rising tide of patients, according to a Reuters tally.

Nine States reported record one-day increases in cases on Wednesday: Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.

The pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of American life, including a record number of voters mailing in their ballots in Tuesday's presidential election, whose outcome has yet to be decided.

Over dozen Indian Americans win State polls; another 4 re-elected to Congress

More than a dozen Indian Americans, including five women, have won State-level elections, marking a first for the community in many instances.

This is in addition to the four Indian Americans elected to the U.S. House of Representatives: Dr. Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna and Raja Krishnamoorthi. At least three other races, including one for the U.S. House of Representatives, are yet undecided.

The five women elected to State legislatures are Jenifer Rajkumar to the New York State Assembly, Nima Kulkarni to the Kentucky State House, Kesha Ram to the Vermont State Senate, Vandana Slatter to the Washington State House and Padma Kuppa to the Michigan State House. - PTI

U.S. presidential election moves to the courts

With the U.S. presidential election between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden too close to call, Trump turned to the courts to try to invalidate votes in Pennsylvania and block Michigan officials from counting ballots.

Here is a short summary of the cases that will play out in the coming days and possibly weeks.

Michigan ballot counting fight:

Trump's campaign said it has filed a lawsuit in Michigan to stop State officials from counting ballots until it has an election inspector at each absentee voter counting board. The campaign also wanted to review ballots which were opened and counted before an inspector from its campaign was present.

Pennsylvania court battles:

Republican officials sued election officials in Montgomery County, which borders Philadelphia, accusing them of illegally counting mail-in ballots early and giving voters who submitted defective ballots a chance to re-vote. In a separate lawsuit, the Trump campaign asked a judge to halt ballot counting in Pennsylvania, claiming that Republicans had been unlawfully denied access to observe the process.

U.S. Postal service litigation:

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said Postmaster General must answer questions about why the U.S. Postal Service failed to complete a court-ordered sweep for undelivered ballots in about a dozen States before a Tuesday afternoon deadline. The federal judge is overseeing a lawsuit by Vote Forward, civil rights organisation NAACP, and Latino community advocates who have been demanding the postal service deliver mail-in ballots in time to be counted in the election.

Georgia ballot fight:

The Trump campaign has filed a lawsuit in State court in Chatham County, Georgia. Unlike the Pennsylvania and Michigan actions, that lawsuit it not asking a judge to halt ballot counting. Instead, the campaign said it received information that late-arriving ballots were improperly mingled with valid ballots, and asked a judge to enter an order making sure late-arriving ballots were separated so they would not be counted.

 

Biden promises to rejoin Paris agreement in "77 days"

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, who looks close to becoming the next U.S. President, promised to rejoin the Paris climate agreement in 77 days.

"Today, the Trump Administration officially left the Paris Climate Agreement. And in exactly 77 days, a Biden Administration will rejoin it," he wrote on Twitter. Biden had previously pledged the same, if elected to power.

The United States formally exited the Paris Agreement on Wednesday, fulfilling an old promise by President Donald Trump to withdraw the world's second-largest greenhouse gas emitter from the global pact to fight climate change.

Count every vote, says protestors in Chicago

As Trump's legal team persisted with efforts to block the counting of votes in at least three States, parts of America saw protests in the form of peaceful rallies. In Chicago, protestors armed with mobile phone torch lights and handheld signs of 'Count Every Vote' took to the streets.

 

Republicans on track to dash Democratic hopes of U.S. Senate majority

Republicans appeared poised to retain control of the U.S. Senate, after Senator Susan Collins defied political odds to win re-election in Maine and other Republican incumbents led Democrats in a handful of undecided races.

Democrats, who had been favoured to win the Senate majority heading into the election, had a net gain of only one seat to show as their options for further increases dwindled, despite a huge Democratic money advantage going into the final weeks of the campaign.

Republicans currently hold a 53-47 seat Senate majority. To win control, Democrats would need to net three Republican-held seats if Democrat Joe Biden wins the White House and Senator Kamala Harris becomes vice president with the tie-breaking Senate vote. If Biden loses to Republican President Donald Trump, Democrats would need four seats. - Reuters

'Sharpiegate' allegations fuel unproven claims of voter fraud in Arizona

Unsubstantiated claims alleging some votes cast for President Donald Trump were not counted in Maricopa County, Arizona — an important battleground in the 2020 U.S. election — because voters used Sharpie pens began spreading among right-wing social media accounts as election results trickled in.

CLAIM: Votes were eliminated in Arizona because people were made to use Sharpie pens to mark their ballots. This caused the tabulation machine to cancel the vote.

THE FACTS: As Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was declared the winner of the presidential vote in the Republican stronghold of Arizona, social media posts circulated falsely suggesting that votes for Trump were canceled because people were told to use Sharpies to fill out their ballots.

Arizona election officials confirmed that Sharpies were used in voting, but they said that would not invalidate a ballot. The Maricopa County Elections Department tweeted on Election Day that voting centers use Sharpies so that ink does not smudge when ballots are counted.

Win or lose, Trump's movement stronger and bigger than ever

The U.S. presidential election is still up in the air, but one thing is for certain: the movement created by Donald Trump is alive and well, and more solid than pundits expected.

No matter if he wins or loses, Trumpism looks set to live on.

Republican political pundit Sophia A. Nelson summed it up quickly: “The Trump movement is real. And it's here to stay.”

Despite being repeatedly — and wrongly — described as only older, white and rural, Trump's base will help deliver the third highest vote total in American political history — behind only Joe Biden, and Barack Obama in 2008. Hispanic voters, often expected to lean left, turned to Trump this time around — their turnout in Florida helped him easily defeat Biden in the Sunshine State in Tuesday's nailbiter of an election. - AFP

Judge pushes U.S. Postal Service to ensure all remaining election ballots delivered

A judge on Wednesday said he wants to ensure all remaining ballots for the closely contested U.S. election are delivered, demanding that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy answer questions about why the postal service failed to complete a court-ordered sweep for undelivered ballots.

“The pressing issues are where are the ballots and how do we get them delivered so they can be counted,” U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said in concluding a hearing that included testimony from U.S. Postal Service (USPS) official Kevin Bray who answered questions about ballot deliveries.

Many states are accepting ballots for up to a week after Election Day Tuesday as long as they were postmarked by then. Ballots are still being counted by election officials in battleground states in the contest between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden. - Reuters

Nevada to release more results on Friday

The top elections official in Nevada’s most populous county says more results will be released on Friday that include mail-in ballots received on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Clark County Registrar of Voters Joe Gloria said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon that he did not yet know how many ballots had been received but uncounted in the Las Vegas area.

Early results showed Democrat Joe Biden with a slim lead over President Donald Trump in Nevada, but it was too early to declare a winner in the race Wednesday with a large number of ballots yet to be counted.

— AP

Trump prematurely claims he has won Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina

President Donald Trump has prematurely declared that he has won in the States of  Pennsylvania, Georgia and  North Carolina

Mr. Trump tweeted on Thursday that he has “claimed, for Electoral Vote purposes, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (which won’t allow legal observers) the State of Georgia, and the State of North Carolina, each one of which has a BIG Trump lead.”

— AP

Angry poll watchers barred in Detroit

Emotions were running high on Thursday in downtown Detroit, where city election officials blocked about 30 people, mostly Republicans, from entering the vote-counting hall at TCF Center due to capacity restrictions to fight the spread of COVID-19.

Democrats said they had also been barred, and one poll worker told Reuters Republicans were “trying to slow down and obstruct the counting.”

Detroit police were called to enforce the decision and some of those barred from the hall grew agitated when poll officials blocked the windows with pizza boxes and cardboard to prevent challengers from viewing inside.

— Reuters

Biden wins in Michigan, in another major blow to Trump: U.S. media

Joe Biden has won the crucial battleground state of Michigan, US networks projected Wednesday, meaning the former vice president has flipped another state won by President Donald Trump in 2016.

CNN and NBC News projected the win for Biden in the Midwestern state, which unexpectedly went to Trump by less than half a percentage point in 2016 in one of the stunning state defeats suffered by Hillary Clinton.

— AFP

Scattered protests in U.S. cities, but no wide unrest seen

Scattered protests took place from Washington, D.C., to Washington state as votes were counted, but there were no signs of widespread unrest or violence linked to the U.S. election.

The outcome of the hard-fought contest for the presidency remained undecided Wednesday, stirring worries that prolonged uncertainty could yet spark conflict.

But demonstrations overnight and on Wednesday in cities including Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington and New York remained largely peaceful.

In Washington, more than 1,000 people protesting President Donald Trump converged on Black Lives Matter Plaza on Tuesday night, just a block from the White House, while hundreds more marched through downtown, sometimes blocking traffic and setting off fireworks.

— AP

We believe we will be the winners of U.S election: Joe Biden

Democrat Joe Biden said Wednesday he was confident of winning the presidency once all votes are counted, saying he was leading Donald Trump in the remaining swing States that will determine the election's outcome.

With results from Wednesday's election showing Mr. Biden steadily nearing the threshold necessary to win the White House, Mr. Trump has mounted legal challenges in efforts to suspend the counting of ballots or force recounts in battlegrounds that will determine the next president.

“After a long night of counting, it's clear that we're winning enough states to reach 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency,” Mr. Biden said in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.

After tense night, election mystery remains for media

After an extraordinary night of shifting vote counts and a rebuke of President Donald Trump, news organizations kept vigil Wednesday as Americans waited to learn who their next president would be.

For weeks, media outlets had warned that Americans would need patience on election night and beyond, and that turned out to be their most accurate prediction.

"It may take a few days,” said Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier.

After several hours of little movement, , CNN, CBS News and NBC News declared Wisconsin for Democratic challenger Joe Biden. While several states were still in doubt, the call narrowed Trump’s path to the 270 electoral votes needed for election - even as his campaign announced it would seek a recount there.

News organizations didn’t move in lockstep on their calls. By 3 p.m. EST, for example, no one had joined Fox News Channel or the AP in declaring Biden the winner in Arizona, which they had done more than 12 hours earlier.

Trump camp says it's suing to stop Pennsylvania vote count over lack of 'transparency'

President Donald Trump’s campaign says it’s suing to temporarily stop the vote count in Pennsylvania, claiming lack of “transparency.”

Justin Clark, Mr. Trump’s deputy campaign manager, said in a statement Wednesday that the campaign is “suing to stop Democrat election officials from hiding the ballot counting and processing from our Republican poll observers.” He said the campaign wants “to temporarily halt counting until there is meaningful transparency and Republicans can ensure all counting is done above board and by the law.”

— AP

Trump sues for Michigan ballot access, asks Wisconsin recount

The Trump campaign filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Michigan state court demanding access to locations where ballots are being counted in one of the undecided states that could determine whether President Donald Trump gets another four years in the White House.

The campaign said it is calling for a temporary halt in the counting until it is given “meaningful access” in numerous locations and allowed to review ballots that already have been opened and processed. Trump is running slightly behind Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Michigan.

The campaign also said it would ask for a recount in Wisconsin, a state called for Biden on Wednesday afternoon. Campaign manager Bill Stepien cited “irregularities in several Wisconsin counties.”

— AP

Democrats' Senate drive halted by GOP; key races undecided

Democrats faced increasingly long odds in the the battle for Senate control as Republicans brushed back multiple challengers to protect their majority. Still, it was too soon for the GOP to declare victory.

In Maine, Republican Sen. Susan Collins won the hardest-fought race of her career, securing a fifth term by defeating Democrat Sara Gideon. Declaring victory Wednesday afternoon, Collins said the outcome was “affirmation of the work that I’m doing in Washington.” Democrats had tried to tie the moderate Republican to President Donald Trump and criticized her for her vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018.

— AP

Biden wins Wisconsin in fight for White House

The fate of the United States presidency hung in the balance Wednesday as Democratic challenger Joe Biden picked up a win in Wisconsin while fighting President Donald Trump in other battleground states that could prove crucial in determining who wins the White House.

Neither candidate cleared the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House, and the margins were tight in several other battleground states. Top advisers for both Biden and Trump on Wednesday morning expressed confidence that they respectively had the likelier path to victory in the outstanding states.

— AP

Donald Trump's campaign files law suit to halt Michigan's vote count

President Donald Trump’s campaign says it has filed a lawsuit trying to halt the vote count in battleground Michigan.

The latest counts gives Mr. Trump’s Democratic challenger Joe Biden a small lead, but the race is still too early to call.

Mr. Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien says in a statement Wednesday that the campaign “has not been provided with meaningful access to numerous counting locations to observe the opening of ballots and the counting process, as guaranteed by Michigan law.”

Michigan is a critical battleground state that helped deliver Mr. Trump the presidency four years ago, along with Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Neither Wisconsin or Pennsylvania has been called yet.

— AP

November 5, 2020

Maine Republican Collins holds US Senate seat in blow to Dems

Embattled Republican incumbent US Senator Susan Collins of Maine scored a come-from-behind election victory as her challenger conceded Wednesday, virtually closing Democrats' pathway to regaining control of the Senate.

“I just received a very gracious call from Sara Gideon conceding the race,” said Collins, 67, who had trailed for months in polling against her Democratic rival.

Ms. Gideon said in a televised address that she spoke with Collins and “congratulated her on winning this election,” which chalks up another victory for Republicans from Tuesday's election.

— AFP

Trump wins one of Maine's four electoral votes, Biden carries State

President Donald Trump has won one of Maine’s four electoral votes, just as he did in 2016.

Mr. Trump carried the state’s 2nd Congressional District, the more rural and conservative of Maine’s congressional districts.

While Democrat Joe Biden easily carried the Sate itself, Maine is one of only two states that divides its electoral votes.

Mr. Biden won the 1st Congressional District and the statewide tally, good for three electoral votes. Trump’s victory in the 2nd Congressional District means he wins one electoral vote.

Maine split its electoral votes four years ago, awarding three to Democrat Hillary Clinton and one to Trump.

— AP

Trump to ask for recount in Wisconsin: campaign manager

President Donald Trump's campaign said Wednesday it was demanding a recount in Wisconsin, where early returns show Democrat Joe Biden with a slender lead.

“There have been reports of irregularities in several Wisconsin counties which raise serious doubts about the validity of the results,” campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a statement. “The president is well within the threshold to request a recount and we will immediately do so.”

— AFP

Biden takes lead in key states in tight White House race

As of 9:30 p.m. (IST) Joe Biden had slim leads in Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin while Trump was ahead in Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

U.S. President Donald Trump fired off allegations of election fraud on Wednesday, setting the stage for a potential legal battle, as Democrat Joe Biden took a slim lead in key states that could decide the bitterly contested White House race.

Americans woke up on Wednesday not knowing who the next U.S. president would be as votes were still being counted in six battleground states that could swing the election.

As Trump vented his frustration on Twitter over the slow vote count, the Biden camp expressed confidence it was on track to win enough of the remaining close state races.

Campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon said a victory by the former vice president was a “foregone conclusion.”

— AFP

Claiming you’ve won the election is different from finishing the counting: Mitch McConnell

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is discounting President Donald Trump’s early claim that he’d already won the election, saying it’s going to take a while for states to conduct their vote counts.

The Kentucky Republican and Mr. Trump ally said Wednesday that “claiming you’ve won the election is different from finishing the counting.”

McConnell also says he is untroubled by Trump’s vows to contest the vote count in key states, telling reporters in Louisville that “you should not be shocked that both sides are going to have lawyers there.”

Early Wednesday, Mr. Trump said, “We will win this, and as far as I’m concerned we already have won it.”

— A.P.

They are working hard to make up 500,000 vote advantage in Pennsylvania disappear: Donald Trump

"They are finding Biden votes all over the place — in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. So bad for our Country!," tweeted Donald Trump on Wednesday. "They are working hard to make up 500,000 vote advantage in Pennsylvania disappear — ASAP," he added.

Presidency hinges on tight races in battleground states

The fate of the United States presidency hung in the balance Wednesday as President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden battled for three familiar battleground states - Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania - that could prove crucial in determining who wins the White House.

It was unclear when or how quickly a winner could be determined. The latest vote counts in Michigan and Wisconsin gave Biden a small lead in those states, but it was still too early to call the races. A recount seemed likely in Wisconsin, where an apparent losing candidate can request one if the margin is less than 1%.

Neither candidate cleared the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House, and the margins were tight in several other battleground states. Top advisers for both Biden and Trump on Wednesday morning expressed confidence that they respectively had the likelier path to victory in the outstanding states.

— A.P.

Dems head toward House control, but lose incumbents to GOP

Disappointed Democrats drove Wednesday toward extending their control of the House for two more years but with a potentially shrunken majority as they lost at least seven incumbents and failed to oust any Republican lawmakers in initial returns.

By midmorning on Wednesday, Democrats’ only gains were two North Carolina seats vacated by GOP incumbents after a court-ordered remapping made the districts more Democratic. Though they seemed likely to retain House control, their performance was an unexpected disappointment for the party, which hoped for modest gains of perhaps 15 seats.

After decades of trying, Republicans defeated 15-term Rep. Collin Peterson from a rural Minnesota district that backed President Donald Trump in 2016 by 31 percentage points, Trump’s biggest margin in any Democratic-held district. Peterson, who chairs the House Agriculture Committee, opposed Trump’s impeachment and is one of the House’s most conservative Democrats. He was defeated by Republican Michelle Fischbach, the former lieutenant governor.

— AP

Biden team: Trump faces 'embarrassing defeat' if he fights vote in Supreme Court

President Donald Trump will suffer a harsh loss if he follows through on threats to challenge election vote counts in the US Supreme Court, a lawyer for Democrat Joe Biden's campaign warned on Wednesday.

Mr Trump “will be in for one of the most embarrassing defeats a president ever suffered before the highest court in the land” if he asks it to invalidate ballots counted after Election Day, said former White House counsel Bob Bauer.

- AFP

 

Republican Ashley Hinson wins election to U.S. House in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, beating incumbent Rep. Abby Finkenauer.

Republican Lauren Boebert has won the Colorado House seat held by five-term GOP Rep. Scott Tipton.

- AP

 

Biden says ‘won’t rest until every vote counted’

Joe Biden has vowed that his campaign would not “rest until every vote is counted” in the U.S. election after President Donald Trump sought Supreme Court intervention to halt the counting process.

“We won't rest until everyone's vote is counted,” Mr. Trump's Democrat rival said on Twitter.

 

Trump alleges ‘surprise ballot dumps’ in States where he was leading

U.S. President Donald Trump has alleged that there had been “surprise ballot dumps” in States where he had been leading.

“Last night I was leading, often solidly, in many key States, in almost all instances Democrat run & controlled,” Mr. Trump tweeted. “Then, one by one, they started to magically disappear as surprise ballot dumps were counted.”

Mr. Trump did not offer any evidence for his allegation of “ballot dumps” and there have been no reports of any irregularities.

The leads in numerous States have shifted back-and-forth between the candidates as votes are counted.

 

Oil prices rise after Trump falsely claims victory

Oil prices rose on Wednesday but pared earlier gains after President Donald Trump falsely claimed victory in a tight U.S. election with millions of votes still to be counted and the final result not yet clear.

A victory by Mr Trump is viewed as bullish for oil because of sanctions on Iran and his support for Saudi-led oil production cuts to support prices.

A contested result and prolonged uncertainty is seen as the most bearish outcome for oil and markets in general, while a win for Joe Biden would be seen as bearish to neutral because of his support for green policies and softer stance on Iran.

West Texas Intermediate was up 40 cents, or 1%, at $38.06 a barrel by 1442 GMT. It earlier reached highs of $38.92.

Brent crude was up by 51 cents, or 1.3%, at $40.22 after hitting highs of $40.97.

- Reuters

Twitter, Facebook label Trump's election posts when votes were still being counted

Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc flagged some of President Donald Trump's posts on the U.S. election as votes were still being counted, in a real-time test of their rules on handling misinformation and premature claims of victory.

The two companies have been under fierce scrutiny over how they police rapidly spreading false information and election-related abuses of their platforms. In the weeks before Tuesday's vote, both vowed action on posts by candidates trying to declare early victory.

Twitter hid a Trump tweet that claimed “we are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election” behind a label that said it was potentially misleading. The company also restricted users' ability to share the post.

- Reuters

Uncounted ballots greater than current margin in Michigan: Secretary of State

In Michigan, one of the battleground States, the uncounted ballots is greater than the current margin between the candidates. We will have a better idea by the end of today, Michigan Secretary of State tells CNN.

Indian-American Democrat Srinivas Preston Kulkarni loses congressional race in Texas

Indian-American former diplomat Srinivas Rao Preston Kulkarni lost the congressional race to his Republican rival Troy Nehls in a hotly contested battle in Texas’ 22nd district, one of the most ethnically and racially diverse in the US.

According to the latest election result update, Mr Nehls garnered 52 per cent of the votes at 204,537, while Mr Kulkarni got 44 per cent with 175,738 votes in the November 3 election.

If elected, 41-year-old Louisiana-born Kulkarni would have become the first Asian-American ever to serve in the Texas congressional delegation.

A former diplomat who served in Iraq, Russia, Israel and Taiwan, Mr Kulkarni in March had secured an easy victory in the Democratic primary for Texas’ 22nd Congressional district against former Pearland city council member Derrick Reed and attorney Nyanza Davis Moore.

- PTI

U.S. Presidency hinges on tight races in battleground States

The fate of the United States presidency hung in the balance on Wednesday morning, as President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden battled for three familiar battleground States - Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania - that could prove crucial in determining who wins the White House.

It was unclear when or how quickly a winner could be determined. A late burst of votes in Wisconsin gave Mr Biden a small lead in the state, but it was still too early to call the race. Hundreds of thousands of votes were also outstanding in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

The high stakes election was held against the backdrop of a historic pandemic that has killed more than 230,000 Americans and wiped away millions of jobs. Both candidates spent months pressing dramatically different visions for the nation’s future and voters responded in huge numbers, with more than 100 million people casting votes ahead of Election Day.

 

What might happen if U.S. election result is disputed?

Despite incomplete results from several battleground states that could determine the outcome of the U.S. presidential race, President Donald Trump proclaimed victory over Democratic challenger Joe Biden on Wednesday.

The premature move confirmed worries Democrats had voiced for weeks that Trump would seek to dispute the election results. That could set off any number of legal and political dramas in which the presidency could be determined by some combination of the courts, state politicians and Congress.

Here are the various ways the election can be contested:

 

Democrat Torres scripts history by becoming 1st openly gay Black man elected to Congress

Democrat Party’s Ritchie Torres has made history by becoming the first openly gay Black man elected to the US Congress.

Torres, 32, a New York City Council Member, won the election from New York’s 15th Congressional District, defeating Republican Patrick Delices to become the next representative, New York Daily News reported.

Tonight, a new era begins for the South Bronx, Torres said in a statement. “It is the honour of a lifetime to represent a borough filled with essential workers who have risked their lives so that New York City could live.

The Bronx is essential, and the vibrant, loving and talented people who live here have shown time and again their power, fortune and perseverance. The Bronx is the heartbeat of New York City, he said.

Torres, who identified himself as an Afro-Latino, has served in the City Council since 2013.

Legal teams on standby, says Team Biden

Democrat Joe Biden’s campaign says it will fight any efforts by President Donald Trump’s campaign to go to the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent ballots from being tabulated.

In an early morning statement, Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon called Trump’s statement that he will “be going to the U.S. Supreme Court” and that he wants “all voting to stop" “outrageous, unprecedented and incorrect.”

O’Malley Dillon says the Biden campaign has “legal teams standing by ready to deploy to resist that effort.” And she says, “They will prevail.”

The country has not declared a winner in the presidential race. There are still hundreds of thousands of votes left to be counted, and the outcome hinges on a handful of uncalled battleground states.

Fox News under fire by Trump allies over Arizona Biden projection

Fox News faced criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign and its allies on Tuesday for projecting that Arizona's 11 electoral votes would go to Democratic challenger Joe Biden, as other news networks sought more evidence before making a call.

Fox Corp's Fox News chief White House correspondent John Roberts said the Trump campaign was “livid” that the network projected Arizona for Biden, saying: “Pushback is a very light word to use.”

The Associated Press backed Fox's call on Arizona three hours later.

Oklahoma sends Republican to Senate

An Oklahoma Republican has defeated Democratic congresswoman Kendra Horn and taken back the only Democratic-held seat in the state’s congressional delegation.

Republican state Sen. Stephanie Bice earned a reputation as a political moderate in her two terms in the Oklahoma Senate. She wrote a series of bills to help overhaul the state’s antiquated alcohol laws and invited a Hindu leader to deliver a prayer after the Legislature faced criticism for its lack of religious diversity.

But Republicans outnumber Democrats in the district, which includes several traditionally conservative suburbs and two rural counties. Before Horn’s election, it had been in Republican hands for four decades.

US futures slip after Trump's premature claim of victory

U.S. futures slipped and oil prices dropped Wednesday after President Donald Trump, in an early morning appearance at the White House, prematurely claimed victories in several key states.

Earlier, Wall Street futures and Asian shares had posted gains as investors took an optimistic stance on the election’s still undecided outcome.

Many investors took earlier forecasts of a so-called “blue wave” of Democratic Party wins as a signal that the U.S. economy might soon get a big, fresh infusion of help. But with the race too close to call, some analysts said they also might be reassured by the prospect for a continuation of Trump’s pro-market stance.

Joe Biden wins 3 out of 4 votes from Maine

Democrat Joe Biden has won at least three of Maine’s four electoral votes in his bid to unseat President Donald Trump.

Biden won the statewide tally and the 1st Congressional District, good for three electoral votes. Trump, meanwhile, hoped to claim one electoral vote in a win in the 2nd Congressional District. The 2nd Congressional District hasn’t yet been called.

Maine split its electoral votes four years ago, awarding three to Democrat Hillary Clinton and one to Trump, who won the more rural and conservative of Maine’s congressional districts.

In the race to the 270 electoral votes needed to win, Biden has 238 while Trump has 213.

From space to Senate: Mark Kelly wins from Arizona

Democrat Mark Kelly has won the Arizona Senate seat once held by John McCain.

The former astronaut defeated Republican Sen. Martha McSally, who was appointed to the seat after McCain’s death in 2018.

It’s the second election night contest in which a Democrat beat a GOP incumbent. The other was in Colorado.

The Arizona race was a a special election to finish McCain’s term, so Kelly could be sworn in as early as Nov. 30, when the results are officially certified.

Kelly flew combat missions for the Navy during Operation Desert Storm before becoming a test pilot and later an astronaut. He flew four missions to the International Space Station.

Kelly’s victory gives Democrats both Senate seats in Arizona. He will join Kyrsten Sinema in Washington.

Joe Biden wins Arizona

Democrat Joe Biden has won Arizona and its 11 electoral votes, flipping a critical battleground state that Donald Trump won four years ago and that could help determine which candidate wins the presidency.

The victory by Biden was a huge blow to Trump’s chances for reelection. Arizona has backed a Democratic presidential candidate only once in the last 72 years.

Will go to Supreme Court to dispute election count: Trump

Donald Trump claimed he had won the US election, despite the final results not yet being given, and said he would go the Supreme Court to dispute the counting of votes.

“We did win this election,” Trump said in an extraordinary speech from the ceremonial East Room of the White House. “This is a fraud on the American public.”

The Republican, who according to initial results is in a neck-and-neck race with Democrat Joe Biden, said he would go to court and “we want all voting to stop.”

Yvette Herrell wins an upset victory

Republican Yvette Herrell has won an upset victory for a House seat in New Mexico.

Torres Small ran a campaign in the traditionally conservative-leaning district as a moderate who has challenged her party’s stances on issues including oil and gas development.

While Torres Small maintained a fundraising edge throughout the race, Herrell received a surge in donations during the third quarter. She raised more than $1 million - one of the biggest fundraising quarters for a Republican congressional candidate in state history.

South Carolina once again backs Republicans

Republican Nancy Mace has defeated incumbent congressman Joe Cunningham in South Carolina, erasing a gain Democrats made two years ago.

Mace is a state lawmaker, and she beat Cunningham in a seat Republicans had vowed to flip back after the Democrat’s win in 2018. She will be only the second woman to serve in the House from South Carolina.

The congressional district stretches from Charleston to Hilton Head Island along the state’s coast and is richer, more educated and less conservative than much of South Carolina.

In a blow to Democrats, Steve Daines re-enters Senate

Republican Steve Daines of Montana has won a second Senate term, dealing a blow to Democrats’ hopes of gaining a majority in the chamber.

The former business executive and Donald Trump loyalist defeated Gov, Steve Bullock.

Daines’ first election in 2014 broke a Democratic lock on the Senate seat that had lasted more than 100 years. After Trump carried Montana by more than 20 percentage points in 2016, Daines emerged as one of the president’s ardent defenders.

Bullock is a two-term Montana governor who entered the race in March after dropping a presidential bid that attracted little support.

Political groups and the campaigns poured more than $100 million into the contest, a record shattering figure for the sparsely populated state. - AP

Protesters gather near White House, no wide unrest seen

More than 1,000 people protesting US President Donald Trump descended on Black Lives Matter Plaza on Tuesday night, just a block from the White House, while hundreds more marched through parts of downtown Washington, sometimes blocking traffic and setting off fireworks.

Scattered protests also took place from Seattle to New York City, but across the US there were no signs of serious violence or widespread unrest in the hours immediately after the polls closed.

The demonstrations in Washington were largely peaceful, with people shouting, Whose streets? Our streets! and If we don’t get no justice, they don’t get no peace! Groups of teenagers danced in the street as onlookers cheered. Large banners, including one reading Trump lies all the time, were unfurled. - AP

Biden ahead in Maine

Democrat Joe Biden has won at least one of Maine’s four electoral votes in his bid to unseat President Donald Trump.

Mr. Biden won the state’s 1st Congressional District, good for one electoral vote.

Maine’s statewide vote, which is worth two electoral votes, and the state’s 2nd Congressional District haven’t yet been called.

Maine split its electoral votes four years ago, awarding three to Democrat Hillary Clinton and one to Trump. Trump won the 2nd Congressional District, the more rural and conservative of Maine’s congressional districts.

It marked the first time in state history that Maine divided its electoral votes.

Maine is one of only two states that divides its electoral votes. The other is Nebraska.

Nebraska favours Trump

President Donald Trump has won four of Nebraska’s five electoral votes, while Democrat Joe Biden has won one electoral vote from the state.

The 1st Congressional District was called for Trump early Wednesday. He also won the 3rd Congressional District earlier, as well as the statewide vote. Trump gets one electoral vote for each congressional district, plus two electoral votes for winning the statewide vote.

Biden’s win in the 2nd Congressional District, which includes Omaha, is a flip from 2016, when Trump narrowly won it against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

While Trump easily carried the state itself, Nebraska is one of only two states that divides its electoral votes.

In 2016, Trump won all five of Nebraska’s electoral votes. - AP

Michelle Fischbach unseats Rep. Collin Peterson in Minnesota

Republican Michelle Fischbach has upset Democratic U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, who was seeking a 16th term.

Ms. Fischbach is a conservative former state senator who briefly served as lieutenant governor in 2018 when Tina Smith resigned the seat upon her appointment as a U.S. senator. Fischbach argued during the campaign that Peterson was too close to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other liberals.

Republican Steve Daines has been reelected to U.S. Senate from Montana.

Kanye West gives up on 2020 White House bid, eyes 2024

Rapper Kanye West on Tuesday voted for himself as the next U.S. president after a long-shot campaign marked by erratic statements and speculation that he might siphon some Black votes from Democrat Joe Biden.

Late on Tuesday evening, the singer and fashion designer appeared to concede his 2020 bid had ended but suggested his quest was not over. He posted a picture of himself in front of an electoral map saying “WELP KANYE 2024.”

Earlier, the singer and fashion designer tweeted that he was ”voting for the first time in my life for the President of the United States, and it's for someone I truly trust ... me.” - Reuters

Democrats head toward House control, but struggle to gain seats

Democrats drove on Wednesday toward extending their control of the House for two more years, but their expectations of expanding their majority seemed to be waning as they failed to defeat any Republican incumbents in initial returns.

Instead, the parties’ swapped a handful of seats apiece, underscoring returns that early on suggested a status-quo House election, with Democrats holding onto their majority with modest gains at best.

There were no early victories by Democrats in long-shot races. Republicans retained seats that Democrats had hoped to capture, for example, in central North Carolina and around Little Rock, Arkansas. - AP

Trump wins in Texas: US networks

President Donald Trump has won Texas, US networks forecast early Wednesday, taking the rich prize of 38 electoral votes in the Lone Star state.

Texas is traditionally a staunchly Republican state but Democrat Joe Biden made major inroads in the campaign and it was thought the state could go blue for the first time since 1976. - AFP

Optimistic of the outcome, says Biden

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said that he is optimistic about the outcome of the election. He was speaking to supporters in Delaware, and was accompanied by his wife Jill Biden.

Biden said that the results of the election may not be known until Wednesday morning or later but he is optimistic of the outcome.

Will make a statement tonight, says Trump

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to announce that he will be making a statement "tonight."

"We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the polls are closed!" he wrote in a tweet that Twitter flagged as possibly misleading.

 

Trump wins Ohio, Iowa, Florida

In a significant step towards retaining his post, President Donald Trump has won Florida, Iowa and Ohio. Trump had won all three States in 2016 as well.

With this, he has bagged 53 electoral votes. A victory in both these States, and Ohio in particular, is a major success for the Trump campaign.

Biden's hopes for a decisive early defeat of Trump faded as the President took solid leads in Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Texas. Fox News projected Trump would win Florida, a must-win State in his quest for 270 Electoral College votes.

All four of 'The Squad' retain their seats

Progressive Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib, popularly known as "The Squad" have secured a second term in Congress.

The four women were elected to the House of Representatives in 2018, and are admired on the Left for challenging the Washington status quo.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has won the election from New York, Ilhan Omar from Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib from Michigan.

“Our sisterhood is resilient,” Omar tweeted alongside pictures of all four women as she celebrated her victory.

Fox News calls Arizona for Biden, Republicans push back

Arizona, which has 11 electoral votes, has grabbed eyeballs after Fox News called it for Joe Biden Republicans pushed back against this, pointing out that Election Day votes are yet to be counted.

Arizona has potential to swing the election — a win here could make things easier for Biden. Trump had won the 2016 election

When will the election result be known?

In ‘normal’ years, most ballots are counted by the end of the voting day, with the result being known late in the night. This despite a small number of mail-in and absentee ballots coming in later, small enough in number that they would not change the overall result.

However, given the need for social distancing and concerns over in-person voting due to the COVID-19 pandemic, up to 80 million Americans will likely vote via mail, and in nearly a third of States, votes only need to be postmarked, not received, by the election day. With the U.S. Postal Service facing slowdowns through the pandemic, the likelihood of a decisive number of ballots being counted on the same day as voting is low.

Officials in the Midwestern States of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan have said that they are unlikely to announce the winning today, according to U.S. media reports.

Surprise lead for Trump in Virginia

As per the latest report, Trump was leading in the key battleground states of Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. Biden was leading in Arizona and Minneapolis.

Biden has won in Washington, Oregon, California and Illinois, while Trump has won Utah and Idaho.

In a surprise, Trump was leading by seven percentage points in Virginia, which was considered to be a Democratic bastion.

Indian-origin congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi wins U.S. House race

Indian-origin Democratic congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has been re-elected to the US House of Representatives for the third consecutive term.

Krishnamoorthi, 47, who was born in New Delhi, easily defeated Preston Nelson of the Libertarian Party. When last reports came in, he had accounted for nearly 71 per cent of the total votes counted.

Krishnamoorthi, whose parents are from Tamil Nadu, was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2016.

Meanwhile, congressman Ami Bera is seeking his fifth consecutive win from California and Ro Khanna his third term in the House of Representatives from California.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal is seeking her third consecutive term from Washington state. - PTI

Delaware elects U.S.’ first transgender State senator

Democrat Sarah McBride has won a State Senate race in Delaware, and would become the first openly transgender State senator in the country when sworn in.

McBride defeated Republican Steve Washington to win the seat that became open following the retirement of the longest-serving legislator in Delaware history.

She won in a heavily Democratic district stretching from northern Wilmington to the Pennsylvania border, and joins several other transgender legislators around the country but will be the first transgender State senator.

Georgia Republican who supports QAnon wins U.S. House seat

Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, who expressed racist views and support for QAnon conspiracy theories in a series of online videos, has won a U.S. House seat representing northwest Georgia.

Greene was heavily favored in the conservative district even before Democratic challenger Kevin Van Ausdal suddenly dropped out in September, saying he was moving out of state.

She has claimed in online videos that Black and Hispanic men are being held back by “gangs and dealing drugs,” alleged an “Islamic invasion” of government offices and accused Jewish billionaire George Soros of collaborating with Nazis.

She has also embraced QAnon, a far-right U.S. conspiracy theory centered around the debunked belief that Trump is fighting a secret campaign against “deep-state” enemies and a child sex trafficking ring of satanic pedophiles and cannibals.

Also read: All you want to know about QAnon

25-year-old Republican wins race, to be the youngest in Congress

Republican Madison Cawthorn has been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina. At 25, he is one of the youngest candidates to be elected to Congress. Incidently, the minimum age for eligibility to the House is 25 years.

He contested against Democratic candidate Moe Davis, a former Air Force prosecutor. Crawthorn had survived a near-fatal car accident when he was 18, which left him partially paralysed.

Cawthorn's reaction to the win was succinct. "Cry more, libs," he wrote on Twitter.

 

Is Texas turning Blue?

Texas, a traditionally Republican State with 38 electoral votes, is leaning towards Democrat Joe Biden at the moment.

Trump won Texas by nine points in 2016 but polls have shown Biden still within reach in America’s biggest red state. Democrats also need to flip only nine seats to reclaim a majority in the Texas House for the first time in 20 years, and have aggressively targeted several races in Harris County in the State.

On Monday, a federal judge had rejected a last-ditch Republican effort to invalidate nearly 127,000 votes in Houston because the ballots were cast at drive-thru polling centres established during the pandemic.

Ohio results and Trump-LeBron drama

Ohio, with 18 electoral votes, is another State that is a toss-up between the two candidates. The President had famously crossed swords with the State's star NBA player LeBron James, after the latter called the President "divisive." 

In classic Trump fashion, the U.S. President took to Twitter to express his displeasure.

“Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon,” Mr. Trump posted. “He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do.”

Don Lemon is an American television journalist.

Trump then, unexpectedly, appeared to weigh in on the growing debate over who is the greatest NBA player of all time, James or Michael Jordan, by writing “I like Mike!”

Later, during a Trump campaign rally, chants of "LeBron James sucks" were heard, according to U.S. media.

Biden at 88 electoral votes, Trump at 63: US media

The first results are trickling in, with US media projecting wins for the Republican incumbent so far in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia — all States he won in 2016.

Biden has captured Connecticut, his home state of Delaware, Maryland, Illinois, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and New Jersey, as well as the three electoral votes given to the US capital Washington (District of Columbia). All were won by Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.

So far, that gives Biden 88 electoral votes and Trump 63. The magic number is 270. - AFP

Donald Trump wins Arkansas, Biden leads in New York

Incumbent President Trump has won the Republican State of Arkansas, winning six electoral votes in the process.

He is projected to win in the States of Louisiana, South Dakota and Wyoming, thus netting in 14 electoral votes.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden has won in New Mexico (five electoral votes), and is set for a win in New York which has 29 electoral votes.

Trump wins Mississippi, Biden Delaware

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has taken Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma, and Joe Biden has won Massachusetts, his home state of Delaware and Virginia, a former battleground that has become a Democratic stronghold.

It was too early to call, in a tight race, the battleground of Florida as well as Georgia.

Florida votes Trump?

Florida, one of the States that is important for a Trump re-election, is still too close to call, according to U.S. media.

The key State had voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 elections, and carries 29 electoral votes. Florida is a must-win State for Trump in his quest for the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. Biden still has multiple paths to the 270 electoral votes he needs without Florida despite having spent lots of time and money trying to flip the State.

Republican Mitch McConnell wins reelection to Senate

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has won a seventh term in Kentucky.

The 78-year-old McConnell defeated Democrat Amy McGrath, a retired Marine combat pilot who challenged him as a political outsider. McConnell is the longest-serving Republican leader in Senate history.

As President Donald Trump’s top ally on Capitol Hill, McConnell led efforts to defend the president during his impeachment acquittal in the Senate. He also worked with Trump on a tax overhaul and orchestrated Senate confirmation of more than 200 judicial appointments, including Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. - AP

Control of Senate at stake as Trump’s allies face Democrats

Tuesday's U.S. election, primarily to elect the country's next President, is also important for the Senate and House of Representatives. One third of the Senate seats are up for re-election every two years. As of now, Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the 100 seat Senate.

This year, 35 seats are being contested. To gain majority, Democrats need to win at least three seats, plus one in case of a Republican president as the Vice President can act as a tie-breaker.

No surprises as Trump takes West Virginia, Biden Vermont

President Donald Trump has won in the traditionally Republican-leaning States of West Virginia, Indiana and Kentucky, while Democratic challenger Joe Biden has won the state of Vermont, U.S. media projected Tuesday as the first election results trickled in.

So far, that gives Trump 24 electoral votes to 13 for Biden. The magic number is 270. Observers expect the hotly contested race for the White House to come down to a handful of key battleground states.

Trump win predicted in Indiana as polls close

The first trends are trickling in Indiana and New Hampshire leaning towards a Republican win and Kentucky towards a Democratic win.

Polls closed in six U.S. States including in the key East Coast battleground of Georgia. Polling places also shut statewide in Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia in a landmark contest that saw tens of millions of American cast their ballots early amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Highest voter turnout in a century as over 160 million votes expected to be cast

The U.S. appears to be on track to see over 160 million votes cast in the 2020 presidential election, a turnout rate of about 67%, which is higher than the country has witnessed in more than a century, as President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden campaigned through the final day to get more voters to the polling booths.

The pandemic as well as a strong drive among Americans to have their voices heard on the ballot box resulted in a record 101 million early votes cast in person and by mail before the polls even opened on Election Day.

The last time the turnout was more than 65% was 1908, according to the United States Elections Project. - PTI

Watch | How is the President of United States elected?

 

Trump or Biden? Big turnout, few hiccups as voters choose

Millions of voters braved coronavirus concerns and occasional long lines to choose between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden in an epic election that will influence how the U.S. confronts everything from the pandemic to race relations for years to come.

Those who turned out in person joined 102 million fellow Americans who voted days or weeks earlier, a record number that represented 73% of the total vote in the 2016 presidential election.

Spirits were high — and positive — in many polling places after a long, exceptionally divisive campaign.

— A.P.

Votes in SC county can't be counted immediately

More than 13,000 votes in one South Carolina county will have to wait a while to be counted because of a printing error.

Dorchester County Election Commissioner Todd Billman said at a news conference Tuesday that the mail-in ballots did not have the proper bars printed at the top so the scanner used to count the votes won’t register them. He says the error does not affect anyone’s vote.

The votes will have to be counted by hand and will not be counted Tuesday. Mr. Billman says Dorchester County’s full results will be finished by the Friday deadline to certify returns.

— A.P.

Republican Governor confesses to voting for Joe Biden

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott says he voted for Joe Biden for president, making him the first Republican governor in the nation to acknowledge voting for the Democratic presidential candidate.

The Republican governor told reporters Tuesday after casting his ballot in his hometown of Berlin, Vermont, that he had never voted for a Democrat in his life.

“As many of you knew, I didn’t support President Trump. I wasn’t going to vote for him,” Scott said. “But then I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t enough for me to just not vote. I had to vote against.”

— A.P.

Joe Biden isn’t making any predictions about election outcome

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden isn’t making any predictions about the outcome of the election as the final hours of voting tick down.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday outside a Delaware community center, Biden said he’s “superstitious” about offering predictions for election night but remains “hopeful.” He says he’s heard from aides that there’s “overwhelming turnout” among young people, women and older Black adults in places like Georgia and Florida.

He says, “The things that are happening bode well for the base that has been supporting me -- but we’ll see.” Still, he admitted, “It’s just so uncertain” because of how many states are in play.

— A.P

No apparent signs of any malicious cyber activity — at least not yet: Department of Homeland Security

The cybersecurity agency at the Department of Homeland Security says the U.S. election so far has featured the usual technical glitches and routine issues but no apparent signs of any malicious cyber activity — at least not yet.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency also says it’s too early to declare victory as polls near closing time around the nation Tuesday and with days of vote counting and certification ahead.

— A.P.

Election Day unfolds smoothly, so far defying fears of disruption

Americans by the millions waited patiently to cast ballots at libraries, schools and arenas across the country on Tuesday, in an orderly show of civic duty that belied the deep tensions of one of the most polarizing presidential campaigns in U.S. history.

The face masks worn by many voters and the sight of boarded-up stores in some city centers were reminders of two big issues shaping the 2020 election, with COVID-19 still ravaging parts of the country after a summer of sometimes violence-marred protests against police brutality and racism.

While civic rights groups said they were monitoring for any signs of voter interference and law enforcement agencies were on high alert for disruption at the polls, their worst fears had not materialized by early afternoon.

— Reuters

Kamala Harris heading heading to Wilmington, Delaware

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris is heading to Wilmington, Delaware, after spending the afternoon campaigning in battleground Michigan.

She reminded voters at a Detroit church on Tuesday how slim Donald Trump’s margin of victory was in the state in 2016. She urged them to try to get two other people to vote as well.

She also urged people to remember why they are voting if they are stuck in long lines.

— A.P.

Hand Sanitizers jam ballot scanners in  Iowa

A spokesperson for the Iowa secretary of state says hand sanitizer on voters’ hands caused a ballot scanner to jam at a polling place in Des Moines.

Spokesperson Kevin Hall says some voters’ hands were moist when they handled the ballots and the buildup of sanitizer eventually caused the scanner to stop working.

The machine was fixed in an hour.

— A.P.

'Away from the noise': How Liberal Americans are coping with Election Day anxiety

Rachel Richardson, a lifelong Democrat, is spending Election Day hiking trails along the Pacific Coast with her two daughters and a fellow mom with her kids in tow.

The 41-year-old Berkeley, California, native who voted for Democrat Joe Biden early said she decided to plan a three-day camping trip to stay away from minute-by-minute election news https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-voting/with-short-lines-and-face-masks-u-s-election-day-gets-off-to-an-orderly-start-idUSKBN27J12R and keep anxiety over the potential reelection of Republican President Donald Trump and the pandemic at bay.

“I think it's now time for me to get a good night's sleep, a few nights in the fresh, clean air with no WiFi signal anywhere in sight,” she told Reuters. “Away from the noise of people's responses.”

— AP

"Call out white supremacists": Crowd gathers near White House

A crowd chanting, “ Call out the white supremacists” has gathered near the White House, north of Lafayette park which is fenced off.

— Sriram Lakshman

Trump, Biden hand their fate to voters, with robust turnout

Voters flocked to the polls on Tuesday despite the threat of the coronavirus and long lines to choose between President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, in an election that will influence how the U.S. confronts everything from the pandemic to race relations for years to come.

Those who are voting in person on Tuesday are joining 102 million Americans who voted early, a record total that that represents 73% of the total turnout of the 2016 presidential election.

"The most important issue is for us to set aside our personal differences that we have with each other,” said Eboni Price, 29, who rode her horse Moon to her polling place in a northwest Houston neighborhood.

— AP

Donald Trump is the President of criminal justice reform: White house

"President Donald Trump is the President of criminal justice reform. He's fighting for public safety while ensuring that our justice system serves every American community and provides second chances for those who are ready to give back and rebuild," The White house tweeted.

"He's fighting for public safety while ensuring that our justice system serves every American community and provides second chances for those who are ready to give back and rebuild," it added.

 

Dollar slides, stocks rise as markets lean toward Biden

The dollar slid and global equity markets rose Tuesday on bets of increased stimulus if Joe Biden wins the U.S. presidential election against President Donald Trump, but gold prices gained on the prospect of contested voting results.

Stocks climbed in Asia after the Reserve Bank of Australia cut interest rates to near zero and boosted its bond-buying program, a precursor to expectations the Bank of England on Thursday will also ramp up its bond purchases.

The dollar slid on the notion a Mr. Biden victory would weaken the greenback. The former Democratic vice president is expected to boost stimulus spending and be less combative on trade, which would lift other currencies at the dollar's expense.

— Reuters

Early vote in U.S. presidential election hits record 100 million

More than 100 million Americans cast an early vote in the 2020 presidential election ahead of Tuesday's Election Day, according to the U.S. Elections Project at the University of Florida, driving what is expected to the highest turnout in modern times.

The sharp increase in mail-in and early in-person voting was largely spurred by the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 231,000 people in the United States and continues unabated in many states as the number of cases continue to spike.

— Reuters

Republicans in battleground Pennsylvania sue over balloting near Philadelphia

A Republican congressional candidate in Pennsylvania on Tuesday sued election officials in a suburban Philadelphia county, accusing them of illegally counting mail-in ballots early and giving voters who submitted defective ballots a chance to re-vote.

The lawsuit against Montgomery County officials was filed by Kathy Barnette, who is seeking a House seat in Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional district, and Clay Breece, chairman of the Republican Committee in neighboring Berks County.

They are seeking to block county officials from letting voters change defective ballots, and to have mail-in ballots that are defective or have been changed be deemed “spoiled,” meaning they would not be counted.

— Reuters

U.S. 'entitled to know' winner on election day: Donald Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday again sought to sow doubt over the counting of ballots beyond election day, saying the country was “entitled” to know who won on the day of the vote.

“You have to have a date, and the date happens to be November 3,” he said during a visit to Republican National Committee offices in Arlington, Virginia.

“And we should be entitled to know who won on November 3.”

— AFP

Democrats push to extend control of House for two more years

Democrats pushed to seal control of the House for two more years Tuesday as they banked on their health care focus, dominant fundraising and broad suburban indignation with President Donald Trump to make their majority in the chamber even larger.

Republicans were hoping to oust some of the 29 Democrats in districts Trump won in 2016, mostly freshmen, in places like Iowa, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City, rural New Mexico, upstate New York and Virginia.

But nearly all Democratic incumbents in potentially vulnerable districts were outspending their GOP challengers, often by vast margins. Democrats were also aiming millions at Republican-held seats from areas around Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston and Indianapolis, and even GOP strongholds like Little Rock, Arkansas, western Colorado and Alaska.

— AP

With short lines and face masks, U.S. Election Day gets off to an orderly start

Americans by the millions waited patiently to cast their ballots at libraries, schools and arenas across the United States on Tuesday, in an orderly show of civic duty that belied the deep tensions of one of the most polarizing presidential campaigns in the country's history.

Face masks worn by many and boarded-up stores in some city centers were reminders of two of the issues shaping 2020's elections, with COVID-19 still ravaging parts of the country after a summer of sometimes violence-marred protests against police brutality and racism.

In New York City, some voting lines snaked around blocks. But in many places lines were short or non-existent, which poll workers guessed was due to an unprecedented wave of early voting. More than 100 million ballots were cast before Election Day, a new record.

— Reuters

FBI investigating robocalls urging people to 'stay home' on Election Day

The FBI is looking into a spate of mysterious robocalls urging people to stay home on Election Day as the nation remains on high alert to ensure voting is not compromised, a Department of Homeland Security official said Tuesday.

U.S. State and local officials have been raising the alarm over at least two separate automated call campaigns as million of Americans cast their votes on Tuesday to decide between President Donald Trump and challenger Joe Biden.

Experts who spoke to Reuters say they are mystified by one of the campaigns, which tells people to remain home but does not explicitly mention voting.

“There's a little bit of confusion about this one across the industry,” said Giulia Porter, vice president at RoboKiller, a company that fights telemarketers and robocalls and has been tracking the campaign.

— Reuters

Brazil's Bolsonaro, a Trump fan, urged to refrain from hasty U.S. election comment

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been advised by domestic aides to wait until U.S. election results are official before congratulating his political idol Donald Trump on a win, even if either candidate declares himself winner beforehand, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Mr. Bolsonaro, a far-right populist, has modeled himself on the U.S. president and delights in being called the “Tropical Trump.” The U.S. leader has not completely redrawn U.S.-Brazil relations in the way Brasilia may have hoped, but he represents a key ideological ally for Bolsonaro.

If Joe Biden wins, the Democrat could put the environment and human rights at the top of the bilateral agenda, complicating relations and jeopardizing trade, diplomats and analysts have told Reuters.

— Reuters

Don’t slow down, California—keep up this historic turnout: Kamala Harris

"12 million Californians cast their ballot before Election Day. Millions more will head to the polls today," tweeted  Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris.

"Don’t slow down, California—keep up this historic turnout," she added. If elected, she will become the first woman Vice-President of the country.

November 4, 2020

U.S. postal service ordered to check for delayed ballots in key battlegrounds

A judge ordered the U.S. Postal Service to sweep some mail processing facilities on Tuesday afternoon for delayed ballots and immediately dispatch them for delivery in election battlegrounds such Pennsylvania and Florida among other places.

Affected by the order are central Pennsylvania, northern New England, greater South Carolina, south Florida, Colorado, Arizona, Alabama and Wyoming as well as the cities of Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, Detroit and Lakeland, Florida.

— Reuters

Watch: What will the US election results mean for India?

While many in India, like people around the world, are interested in the US elections just to see who will win between Donald Trump and Joseph Biden, let us take a look at what the results could mean for US ties with India.

On the strategic side of things, it is clear that relations under Mr. Trump have grown closer at a more rapid pace than before, but it is unlikely that the results in either direction will make a difference to those. What will US ties with China, the Indo-Pacific and Pakistan, especially vis-a-vis Afghanistan be?

— Suhasini Haider

Americans vote as country braces for unrest

By the time Americans started lining up at the polls on Tuesday, an unprecedented number of their fellow citizens — just under 100 million — had already voted, either by mail or via in-person early voting. Both candidates and their star campaigners dashed across swing States urging Americans to vote and to vote for their vision of the future. Also unprecedented in the modern history of a country that likes to be called the “world’s oldest democracy” was the anticipation of possible violence and civil unrest in the event of a contested election.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who wrapped up his campaign on Monday night in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as he had done in 2016 continued to question the legitimacy of some mail-in ballots. Democratic candidate Joe Biden concluded his campaign on Monday where it began — in Pittsburgh.

Mr. Biden began Tuesday with a visit to St. Joseph on the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington, Delaware, with his wife Jill and their granddaughters, visiting the graves of his late son Beau and his first wife and their daughter. Mr. Biden, then flew to Scranton, Pennsylvania, his birth place, for a “get out the vote” event.

— Sriram Lakshman

Biden releases video on voting day

Joe Biden meanwhile released a simple video on voting day encouraging people to go out and vote, with the message: "It comes down to this."

 

Trump releases video montage of him 'dancing' to "YMCA"

On voting day, pinned to the top of President Donald Trump's twitter profile is a video montage of him dancing to "YMCA", the 1978 hit of the band Village People, at various campaign rallies. Over 2 minutes and 12 seconds, Mr Trump merely does fist punches in robotic fashion, occasionally pointing his index finger to the crowds as the disco hit plays on. The video ends with the message "Get out and vote".

 

Trump's top domestic security official urges patience over vote count

Donald Trump's top domestic security official urged voters on Tuesday to be patient in waiting for election results after reports that the president could rush to claim victory.

“Voters should be patient while waiting for the outcome of this year's election,” said Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of homeland security.

“It is important to recognize that this process may require time.”

Trump reportedly told confidants that he would declare victory late on Tuesday if it looked like he was ahead in the voting, though he denied the accusation.

As voting opened, he told Fox News that there was “no reason to play games” over declaring victory early.

Officials in many states have said that counting the large numbers of mail-in votes could take at least another day, and perhaps three days.

Wolf told a press briefing that US election systems remain “resilient” despite attempts by foreign countries like Iran and Russia to hack them and to obtain voter data.

“We have no indications that a foreign actor has succeeded in compromising or affecting the actual votes cast in this election. But we do remain on high alert,” said Wolf.

Chris Krebs, the head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is in charge of election security, said he is confident that the vote results, which will only begin coming in on Tuesday evening, will be secure.

“There may be other events or activities or efforts to interfere and undermine confidence in the election,” Krebs said. “So I ask all Americans to be patient, to treat all sensational and unverified claims with skepticism,” he said.

- AFP

Trump says he feels 'very good' about chances

President Donald Trump said he felt good about his chances for victory as US election day opened on Tuesday, predicting that he would register big wins in key states such as Florida and Arizona.

“We feel very good,” a hoarse-voiced Trump told Fox News in a phone interview. Mr Trump said he expected victory in all the key states that will decide the election, but said he would not “play games” by declaring his win too early.

“We think we are winning Texas very big. We think we are winning Florida very big. We think we are winning Arizona very big,” he said.

“I think we are going to do very well in North Carolina. I think we are going to do well in Pennsylvania. We think we are doing very well everywhere.”

Running behind in most opinion polls, Mr Trump bashed Democratic opponent Joe Biden, “biased” media and the “extreme” left as he repeated his argument for re-election to four more years in the White House.

“Joe Biden is not prime time” he said.

Mr Trump called it “terrible” and “dangerous” that millions of votes mailed in might still not be counted on Wednesday.

But he downplayed allegations that he planned to prematurely declare victory on Tuesday evening before enough of the vote is tallied to determine the winner.

“I think we'll have victory, but only when there's victory,” he said. “Theres no reason to play games.”

- AFP

We can heal the soul of this nation: Joe Biden

"In 2008 and 2012, you placed your trust in me to help lead this country alongside Barack Obama. Today, I’m asking for your trust once again — this time, in Kamala and me," tweeted Joe Biden. The post also included two images of Mr. Biden with Barack Obama and Kamala harris

"We can heal the soul of this nation — I promise we won’t let you down," he added.

Polls open in four States

Polls opened at 6:00 am (16:30 IST) in the eastern states of New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Connecticut and Maine.

But the first polling stations to open in the country were in two New Hampshire villages, Dixville Notch and Millsfield, starting at midnight.

A tiny hamlet of 12 residents in the middle of the forest, near the Canadian border, Dixville Notch has traditionally voted “first in the nation” since 1960.

The vote took minutes, as did the count: five votes for Biden, and none for Trump. - AFP

Watch | Battleground USA: Inside the race to the White House

A video explainer on the 2020 U.S. Elections with The Hindu's U.S. Correspondent Sriram Lakshman

The Hindu In Focus podcast | Will there be a result on November 3?

There is a chance — in fact, a large chance — that the hugely consequential United States Presidential Election 2020 may not be straightforward. A huge proportion of voters in the U.S. have opted for early voting and mail-in voting, and in different States in the U.S there are different rules for the counting of these votes. Over the last six months, President Trump has sought to claim on Twitter that mail-in voting would lead to voter fraud and the Republicans are likely to throw in legal challenges in several States. Taking us through the scenarios and analysing the situation for each campaign as we head into our election coverage is Narayan Lakshman, Associate Editor of The Hindu and former U.S. correspondent.

 

10 states to watch out for

President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden each has a path to win the White House. The former vice president is competitive in all the battleground states Trump carried in 2016, and has put a handful of traditional Republican states, including Georgia and Arizona, in play. Trump can win by defending a wide swath of territory he won in 2016, but his hopes for reelection are heavily dependent on the swing states of Florida and Pennsylvania.

Grab the binoculars and focus on these 10 states as election returns start rolling in:

 

What to watch on Election Day in America

Election Day is finally here. Or at least what we still call Election Day, since nearly 100 million Americans had already cast ballots by Tuesday.

That’s the result of an election system that has been reshaped by the worst pandemic in a century, prompting many voters to take advantage of advance voting rather than head to polling places in person at a time when coronavirus cases are rising.

Here’s what to watch as the final votes for President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden are cast:

Fearing poll-related violence, White House, U.S. businesses take additional security cover

Security has been tightened at the White House, major commercial avenues and shopping districts in the United States as officials feared street violence on election day.

Vital government installations are on high alert. The Secret Service has fortified the White House; a non-scalable high wall has been temporarily erected around the sprawling presidential complex ahead of the voting on Tuesday.

On election eve, contractors were seen busy boarding up major stores and businesses from New York and Boston in the north to southern Houston to Washington DC and Chicago in the east to San Francisco in the West.

Boarding is the commercial term used for installing wooden platforms as protective covers for windows, it includes other makeshift security measures.

 

Judge rejects GOP effort to throw out 127,000 Houston votes

A federal judge on Monday rejected another last-ditch Republican effort to invalidate nearly 127,000 votes in Houston because the ballots were cast at drive-thru polling centres established during the pandemic.

The ruling came in response to a lawsuit by conservative GOP activists, who have filed a battery of court challenges over moves to expand voting options during the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenges have not involved Trump’s campaign.

The Hindu Explains | What are swing States in U.S. polls?

 Why are States like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Florida crucial and will Trump get a second term?

 

Watch | How is the President of United States elected?

The United States President is elected every four years and can serve for only two terms. According to the Constitution of the U.S., the President must be a natural born citizen of at least 35 years of age and a resident for at least 14 years.

Watch | A quick look at the oldest and youngest U.S. presidents

This year, voters in the U.S. will choose between two of the oldest presidential candidates. 74-year-old Donald Trump and Joe Biden aged 77 will be the oldest in the country’s history. Trump, at the age of 70, became the oldest incoming president in 2016. On an average, U.S. presidents are inaugurated at 55 years of age.