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Washington (CNN) – Joe Biden is already the first presidential candidate to have won more than 80 million votes in the United States. And that record number is likely to rise in the coming days as ballots continue to be counted across the country.
As of Tuesday night, Biden had won more than 80,011,000 votes, while President Donald Trump had more than 73,800,000. The president’s votes make him the candidate who wins the second-highest popular vote in American history.
Biden has won 306 electoral votes, while Trump has 232. It takes 270 electoral votes to become president.
Votes in record numbers
Americans voted by mail in record numbers this year to protect themselves from exposure to the coronavirus amid a global pandemic, and experts had warned for months that there would be a lengthy vote count that could stretch for days after Election Day.
The new record set by Biden reinforces his decisive victory over Trump, who has yet to concede the election, even as his administration has begun the formal presidential transition process after the General Services Administration recognized the victory on Monday.
Several states have begun certifying their election results, including Pennsylvania and Nevada, both of which completed their certification on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s certifications followed a dramatic meeting Monday of the Michigan state board of elections, which also voted to certify Biden’s election results after one of the two Republican board members decided to abstain.
CNN’s Kate Sullivan and Kelly Mena contributed to this report.
