It is appropriate to say that the 2020 election was one of the most influential in American history. Also one of the most unique. The COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in how Americans chose to place their ballots. We saw a record number of people choosing to mail in their ballots instead of risking exposure to COVID-19. These mail-in votes caused massive delays that pushed election results well into the weekend.
Battleground states all across America emerged as votes continued to get tighter and tighter. States like Georgia, which is historically Republican, saw its tightest race since the 1970s. A big factor that caused many states to become battleground states is youth and third-party ballots being cast. States like Texas experienced a jump of over 200% in people under 35 casting ballots. Third-party candidates also gained enough votes to influence election outcomes in several states, including Wisconsin and Minnesota.
This article will take a deep dive into exactly what happened during election week. We will talk about the influencing factors that drove the election. We will also talk about the winners, losers, and the things we don’t know yet. Finally, we will discuss American politics moving forward and what the next four years will look like.
The Presidency
As Election Day turned into Election Night, it was clear we would not know who would win the White House. Pollsters and political scientists were waiting to see what would happen in Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. The week dragged on without any concrete results coming from these states.
Under state law, Pennsylvania must wait until Election Day before counting any ballots. This includes early voting and mail-in voting. The delay in counting votes caused a significant backup in polling stations all across Pennsylvania. Nevada and Georgia experienced similar delays due to the record-breaking amount of ballots cast in their states.
These delays caused a lot of uneasy feelings in America. Donald Trump was quick to address the delays. After Election Day, the Trump campaign sued Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Nevada to stop the pollsters from counting votes. These lawsuits were shot down in the judicial system within a couple of days.
On Saturday, November 7, AP News called the election for Joe Biden after winning both Pennsylvania and Nevada. As of the writing of this article, Joe Biden has 290 electoral college votes while Trump has 214. Georgia and North Carolina have yet to be called. It is now mathematically impossible for Donald Trump to win the presidency through the electoral college.
After AP News called the election results, Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Guiliani stated that the Trump campaign would be filing a lawsuit against Pennsylvania. Mr. Guiliani cited voter fraud as the main cause of the lawsuit. In the coming weeks and months, these lawsuits will be brought to court. However, legal experts, including Loyola Law School professor Justin Levitt, believe Trump’s chances are dwindling. According to Time Magazine, most of the Trump campaign lawsuits have already been dismissed due to a lack of evidence.
The House
Before we discuss the House's election results, it is important to note that many races have yet to be called. With that being said, it is safe to make the call that the House will remain under the Democrats’ control for the next two years. Even before the election, Republicans were facing unfavorable odds in taking back the house. On Monday, November 9, the Democrats have 215 seats in Congress compared to 196 held by Republicans. 18 House races have yet to be called.
The biggest takeaway from the House race is the amount of seats Republicans were able to flip. While it remains clear the Republicans will not take back the majority, they could shrink the Democrats majority. Over the past week, Republicans were able to flip 9 House seats that used to be held comfortably by Democrats. A majority of the flipping occurred in states like California and Florida.
The Senate
Before we discuss the Senate's election results, it is important to note that many races have yet to be called. The Senate is providing a lot more entertainment compared to the House. The Democrats were hoping to flip the Senate, giving Joe Biden complete control of Congress. However, as of November 9th, it seems the Republicans will hold a slim majority over the Democrats. As it stands, the Democrats hold 48 seats while the Republicans also hold 48 seats. Out of the 4 races yet to be called, 3 of them are historically Republican strongholds in Georgia, Alaska, and North Carolina. Democrats did receive some good news with the election of Joe Biden as President. According to the US Constitution, the Vice President will act as a tie-breaker in the Senate if needed.
The Influence from Millenial Voters
Now that we have a good idea about the election's outcome, it is time to figure out how we got here. One of the biggest complaints by political scientists is the lack of interest the Millennial generation has shown for the election process. Over the past several election cycles, the number of millennials participating in elections has hovered around 40%. This number contrasts with the 60% to 70% of Gen X and Baby Boomers who participate in the Election process.
However, as of the 2020 election, that is no longer the case. According to early numbers, the Millennial Vote has reached over 70% participation. States like Texas witnessed Millennial votes exceeding over 200% compared to previous elections.
With an election this close, the Millennial vote may have won the White House for Joe Biden. According to early data from the Pew Research Center, Joe Biden received around 61% of the Millennial vote. This is most likely because many millennials live in heavy urban counties that historically vote Democratic in elections.
The State of Third Party Candidacies
In the 2020 election, every single vote counts. Months leading into the election, both the DNC and RNC filed lawsuit after lawsuit trying to get third-party candidates removed from the ballots. Many Republicans and Democrats consider voting for a third-party candidate as wasting their vote. However, over the past several years, there has been a growing movement to include third-party candidates in national elections.
The Libertarians, led by Jo Jorgensen, used the 2020 election to state that third-party candidates are here to stay and need to be heard. In total, Jo Jorgensen received 1.7 million votes. While this may not seem like a lot, she was able to disrupt election results in states like Wisconsin and Minnesota. Libertarians believe they won the election for Joe Biden.
The road for third party candidates still remains uncertain. After this election, it is safe to assume that the RNC and DNC will double their efforts to suppress votes for third-party candidates. One thing is for certain; third-party candidates are not going to go down without a fight.
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