#USAElections2020: Focus on battleground states as counting begins
Early results for the United States Presidential elections show a close race between Republican President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden in key battleground states. Notably, winning the US election rests on key battleground states or "swing states" where the number of electoral college votes is high. Let's take a look at these battleground states and their election results.
How does one win the US election?
In the US Presidential elections, a candidate must win at least 270 electoral votes of the 538 that are up for grabs. Each state is assigned a number of electoral college votes, which go to a candidate after winning in that state, irrespective of the margin of the victory (except Nebraska and Maine). Simply, a candidate with more number of votes could still lose.
#DidYouKnow: Hillary Clinton had won popular vote in 2016
In the 2016 Presidential elections, the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton had lost against President Trump despite having more number of absolute votes. Clinton had won the popular by a margin of 2.8 million, however, Trump had won the electoral college.
What are battleground states? Which states are key?
The focus remains on key battleground states that have historically swung between voting for different parties as the parties have similar levels of support among voters. They also have a higher number of electoral college votes. These include Florida, which has 29 electoral votes, followed by Pennsylvania (20), Ohio (18), Michigan (16), Georgia (16), North Carolina (15), Arizona (11), and Wisconsin (10).
Trump takes lead in Florida with almost all votes counted
Trump looks set to take Florida, although the race has not been called at the time of writing. According to the Associated Press, 91% of the votes have been counted. Trump has taken a lead with 51.3% of the votes, while Biden trails with 47.8%. Georgia has reported 60% of votes. Trump leads with 55.4% of the votes while Biden trails with 43.4%.
Slight lead for Trump in North Carolina
North Carolina has reported 92% of the votes and Trump has a slight lead over Biden. The President has 50% of the votes, while his Democratic rival trails with 48.8%. The race has not been called yet. In Ohio, 87% of the votes have been counted and Trump seems to have taken the lead here as well, with 52.6% of votes; Biden has 46%.
Too early to predict win for other key states
In Arizona, Biden has a lead with 53.7% of the votes as 73% of the votes have been counted. Trump is trailing with 45%. Counting in the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin is still in its early stages, however, Trump is currently leading in all of them. It must be noted that early trends could be misleading, especially so for the swing states.
Biden wins 131 electoral votes; Trump takes 108
Biden has won 131 of the 270 requisite electoral votes so far, while Trump has won 108. Trump has won Alaska, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wyoming, Indiana, and South Carolina. Biden has taken Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia.
