Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Nevada will play a decisive role in who will become the 46th President of the United States. Election officials in various states continually tabulate the votes to announce the result while facing opposition from Trump supporters in Arizona and Pennsylvania.
All eyes remain on Arizona, Pennsylvania and Nevada, as a victory in any of these three states for Joe Biden would bring him closer to winning the race for the White House.
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Several lawmakers have expressed fear for the safety and protection of election officials, as these battle states have yet to declare the results. Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, while speaking to CNN, said protesters were causing delays in the tabulation of votes. Hobbs said: “(The protesters) are causing delays and disruptions and preventing those employees from doing their jobs.”
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Clark County Nevada Recorder Joe Gloria, who was interrupted by a protester Thursday during a news conference, said: “I can tell you that my wife and my mother are very concerned about me.”
Here’s a closer look at the states that could decide the winner of the 2020 US presidential election:
• Arizona state officials say there are about 250,000 votes that have yet to be counted, according to an Associated Press report. The Associated Press and Fox News have predicted that Joe Biden will win the state. According to the New York Times, Biden currently leads in Arizona by more than 45,000 votes. All eyes are on Maricopa County, which will release the next update on Friday night (IST). A victory in Arizona could secure Joe Biden’s presidential victory.
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• Georgia has seen an increase in mail-in ballots and, according to the New York Times, Donald Trump leads by 1,700 votes and faces it in a close race with Joe Biden. Georgia’s secretary of state told the Associated Press that 18,936 absentee ballots have yet to be counted in seven counties. With a younger demographic and Atlanta becoming home to several younger constituencies, Republican control is loosening over the state. Georgia officials said the counting could continue through Friday night if necessary, as the ballots of US military officials need to be counted.
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• Trump’s lead in Pennsylvania diminished Friday night, a state in which he led by a large margin in the opening rounds of counting. Biden is behind by 22,000 votes in Pennsylvania and mail-in votes are still counted. Biden and the Democrats are trying to win back the three states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania in an attempt to rebuild the Blue Wall. Trump won all three states in 2016. Election officials have also said there are 1,700 ballots that were found and were being turned in for recount. Officials expect most of the ballots to be counted by Friday, according to the New York Times.
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• North Carolina could be among the last states to declare who won the state electoral vote. North Carolina will consider receiving ballots in the mail until Nov. 12 if they are postmarked by Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. While it seems likely that Trump will win the state, with 5% of the vote still unaccounted for, there is little chance that Biden will take the lead, as more than 110,000 ballots and provisional ballots by mail remain to be counted. The state will officially announce the results.
• Biden is leading in Nevada, which has been a Democratic stronghold for the last decade, by just 11,000 votes, which means that with mail ballots coming in there is a chance that Trump will take the lead, as more than 190,000 ballots remain without tell. Nevada, like North Carolina, will consider receiving ballots in the mail through November 12 if they are postmarked by Tuesday. Nevada’s Clark County has also been the center of widespread protests from Trump supporters who have alleged voter fraud in the state. The timing of the final count remains uncertain as the mail-in ballots arrive, resulting in a delayed result.
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