While the election is all but over, with most states reporting based on over 95% of all precincts reporting, the battle for the Presidency it would appear is far from over. Most news agencies and outlets have declared Vice President Biden the winner. They even refer to him as President Elect. But then again, they referred to Vice President Gore as President Elect for 30 days before they didn't. I have struggled to understand why everyone has been so quick to declare him the President and even declare him the winner of several states I believe are still up for grabs.
As an example, Fox News has declared him the winner and only shows three states pending on their live election results map. However, below the map the following table can be seen showing six states in play. Of the three already declared for Vice President Biden, two show Biden up by less than 1%. One of which has only 98% of final totals being reported. The third he is up by 2.78% but only 95% of final totals are reported. President Trump is up by 1.39% in one uncalled state , which is a greater margin than two of the states called for Biden. What is the logic behind not calling the stated for Trump? Especially given it is reporting 99% of final totals.
Again, Fox News and most every other live map of results show all but three states have been declared. The one exception is Real Clear Politics. Their map is shown below.
Real Clear Politics shows five states up for grabs. With the exception of Nevada, all are on the table from Fox News. Obviously, they deem Arizona and Pennsylvania still in play. I would add to the list Wisconsin, where the margin is 0.7%. Very similar to the margin in Pennsylvania.
Many of us are asking what is going to happen now? There a numerous lawsuits filed and more are being filed each day. The courts are quickly making decisions and it is important we know what those decisions are. If you are interested in following these lawsuits and their outcomes, head over to Ballotpedia. They keep a running tab of the lawsuits and decisions. They also have a lot of information on the process for selecting the President post an election, i.e. the electoral college process clear through certification of results by the House and the Senate.
Waiting to know the outcome may not be what everyone wants but it is going to take time for courts to resolve all of the cases. Ultimately, the hope is we will have greater confidence in our democratic process. Perhaps less so in the individuals involved in the process.