After a long and tumultuous presidential race between current president, Donald Trump, and Democratic candidate and former vice president, Joe Biden, the final results of the election are in. Joe Biden is projected to become the 46th president of the United States. Protests arose from voters who demanded votes to stop being counted on the insistence of Donald Trump, or to keep on being counted.

On Jan. 20, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president and oldest president ever to be elected. His running mate, California senator Kamala Harris, will be sworn in as the first female vice president of the United States, as well as the first African American and Indian American vice president.
“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the leaders we need for the better of this country’s future. It was like a heavy weight that was lifted off my shoulders when I heard Biden won the presidency,” Christine Trieu (12) said.
The election itself will always be remembered for occurring during a global pandemic. It was also a breakthrough in the nation’s history due to Kamala Harris securing the role of vice president. The election also led to a staggering record voter turnout, the highest since 1900. Joe Biden leads the national popular vote with approximately 77,330,457 votes to Donald Trump’s 72,184,569 votes.
Biden managed to flip battleground state Arizona in his favor, a state that Trump had won in 2016 and a state that had not been for the Democrats since 1996. Biden also won Michigan and Wisconsin, two swing states that the Trump campaign needed desperately if they had any chance of seeing a possible victory for Trump.
Ultimately, it was Pennsylvania that brought Biden to victory with its 20 electoral votes. A state that Trump had declared was nearly impossible for the Democrats to win. The securing of Pennsylvania brought Biden up from 264 votes to 284, well over the 270 needed to win.
President Donald Trump refuses to accept Biden’s win, claiming that the election is far from over and that he will go to the Supreme Court to make sure the ballots are recounted in states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona. The Trump campaign has filed lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia to try and reclaim these battleground states.
“I reckon that our president Donald Trump cannot accept the results of this election, and he never will. Partly due to Trump’s philosophy that he simply never fails. This election is not over yet because Trump will do everything in his jurisdiction to alter the outcome. Right now our nation is divided and it is apparent on the votes. However, I truly believe that eventually, the day will come when all people will understand one another and live in tranquility,” Santiago Hernandez (12) said.
Though Joe Biden is the projected winner, some observers believe that there could still be a possibility that Donald Trump could remain in office, even if his chances are narrow. If the ballot recounts go through, that would prolong the process of counting ballots. Additionally, each state has different rules for counting, and the deadlines they need to make. It is estimated that if the process is slowed, it gives the Trump campaign some ability to stay afloat while Congress would be preoccupied with rethinking and reviewing the election results based on the recounts.