US Presidential Election Still Being Counted... Results May Not Come Out Over the Weekend (Summary)

Biden Victory Declaration Not Yet... Stopped at 253
Recount Controversy May Delay Final Results Until After Weekend

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] It is expected that the final results of the U.S. presidential election will be difficult to know even this weekend, as it was announced that a significant number of uncounted ballots still remain in the five battleground states holding the key to the election outcome. In ultra-close regions where the vote difference between President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden is only a few thousand votes, controversies over recounts are emerging, and the official announcement of the presidential election results is expected to be further delayed.

According to foreign media such as CNN on the 6th (local time), in Pennsylvania, the biggest battleground state with 20 electoral votes that will decide the winner of the presidential election, more than 100,000 uncounted ballots are still reported to remain as of that day. Kathy Boockvar, Pennsylvania Secretary of State, stated at a press conference in the afternoon, "There are about 113,000 absentee ballots remaining across the state."

CNN reported that in Philadelphia alone, more than 40,000 uncounted ballots remain, and it may take several more days to complete the counting. In Pennsylvania, where 96% of the votes have been counted, Biden leads with 49.6% of the vote, ahead of President Trump’s 49.1% by 0.5 percentage points. The vote difference between the two candidates is only about 24,000 votes, so the exact winner is expected to be determined only after all uncounted ballots are counted.

Another close state, Georgia, has 99% of votes counted, with Biden at 49.4% and President Trump at 49.3%, a difference of only about 4,000 votes. Georgia authorities say the margin is too narrow and a recount is necessary, and with overseas absentee ballots joining late, more time will be needed for the counting results. Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State, said at a press conference that day, "About 13,000 more votes still need to be counted, and ballots with errors also need to be processed," adding, "The vote difference between the two candidates is very small, so a recount is expected and it will take more time." Georgia authorities expect the counting results to be announced late on the afternoon of the 7th at the earliest.

In Arizona, Nevada, and North Carolina, it is also expected that results will be difficult to come out over the weekend. Arizona announced that more than 250,000 uncounted ballots remain, Nevada has 190,000, and North Carolina has 116,000 still remaining, so the counting results are expected to come out much later than in Pennsylvania or Georgia. Major U.S. media report that neither candidate has yet secured the 270 electoral votes needed to win. CNN reports that, as right after the election, Biden is still holding 253 electoral votes and President Trump 214.

Because of this, Biden said in a national address held that day that it is too early to declare victory. In his speech that night, Biden said, "This is not the final victory declaration yet," and added, "We will clearly win this election race with a majority and are on the path to securing more than 300 electoral votes."