Washington, Nov.4, (dpa/GNA) – Polling stations have begun to close on the East Coast and the first projected winners are being called in the race for the White House between President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden, but it is too early to know the outcome.
Kentucky went for Trump, as expected, ABC News and Fox News projected. Indiana, the home state of Vice President Mike Pence, was also breaking for the Republican incumbent, according to the networks, giving Trump 19 electoral votes.
Biden is projected to win Virginia and Vermont, giving him 26 electoral votes, according to Fox News and CNN.
Stations in some of the crucial battleground states, such as Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, are still open.
A candidate needs 270 electoral votes in the Electoral College system – which allots each of the 50 state and the capital Washington a number of electors based on population size – to win the White House.
Because of a massive increase in mail-in voting this year, results may take longer than usual. There is no law mandating that a winner be declared on Election Day. Some states are allowing ballots to be received even after polls close.
With Biden consistently leading in the polls including in crucial swing states, Trump, a Republican, is fighting to hold on to the White House after a turbulent four years in office.
Voters across all states are also casting ballots on a range of other issues, including for 35 Senate seats, the entire House of Representatives, numerous state and local offices and a slew of referendums on issues from tax policy to drug laws.
Joe Biden will likely make a speech to the nation on election night, a key campaign aide said. A top adviser to Trump said he too will likely appear.
“Tonight you should expect to hear him speak to the nation, and talk about the path forward, and the hard work we are going to do to start healing this country,” Kate Bedingfield, the deputy campaign manager to Biden told ABC News.
Kellyanne Conway, a long-time adviser to the president, said he is expected to speak from the White House. “You will hear from him tonight,” she said on the same network.
There is an expectation that some states or counties may see their elections end up in court.
Already, the US Postal Service failed to meet a deadline imposed by a federal judge to conduct physical sweeps of mail-processing facilities in several battleground states to ensure no mail-in ballots were left unsent.
Both Trump and Biden have prepared platoons of lawyers to fight for the side.
For many voters, the key issues in the election are the pandemic, the economy and health care, along with more specific areas such as gun rights and control, the environment, and abortion.
Trump is running as a conservative, while Biden has embraced some progressive ideas but has mainly pitched a wide tent, trying to build a broad coalition.
GNA