10 Facts About The Presidential Election 2020 So Far & Why The Results Are Still Not 100%

For the last four years, if you’ve been watching Donald Trump’s press conferences and interviews, you would have assumed you were tuned into a reality TV show or a political mockumentary.

But Donald Trump has actually been president of the US since 2017, and is hoping to keep his post for the next four years.

In some parts of the country it’s still Election Day (3 Nov), the day when Americans cast their ballots for their candidate of choice.

This year, citizens can choose either Trump or Joe Biden.

Trump needs no introduction of course. He is a businessman and television personality who shocked the world in 2016 when he beat out Hilary Clinton to win the presidency.

Biden is politician who has served as a senator (like MPs in Singapore) for over 36 years. He has also served as vice-president to Barack Obama for two consecutive terms.

Trump is a Republican, which is a party built on conservative values, while Biden is a democrat, whose party is driven by social liberalism.

If you don’t live inside the US, there may be many things you don’t understand about the US elections.

Well, have no fear, dear reader, Goody Feed has been ranked the number 1 political news outlet in Asia by half the writers in our office (The other half have been fired).

Here are 10 facts about the 2020 presidential election, some of which might surprise you:

Both Trump & Biden Have Run Presidential Campaigns Before

Now, you already know that Trump is running for president for a second time because you’ve seen him shout “fake news” at reporters for the last four years.

But did you know that Biden has also run a presidential campaign before?

In 1988, when he was 46, Biden ran a presidential campaign for the 41st US Presidential Election.

Due to his moderate stance and speaking ability, Biden was considered one of the strongest candidates at the time.

However, Biden later withdrew from the race after he was accused of plagiarising a speech from a British politician.

He ran another campaign in 2008, but it was unsuccessful. He ended being selected as vice-president by Barack Obama and winning.

Either Way, America Will Have Its Oldest President Ever

Whether Trump or Biden wins, America will have its oldest president ever.

By inauguration day, which falls on 20 Jan next year, Biden will be 78, while Trump will be 74.

The oldest person to assume the presidency till now was… you guessed it: Donald Trump.

At the time, Trump was 70 years old.

It is the Most Expensive US Election In History

According to Business Insider, the 2020 election is the most expensive election in the country’s history.

It is estimated to cost $14 billion, twice as costly as the 2016 election.

Biden has also become the first presidential candidate in US history to raise over a billion dollars.

It Could Have the Highest Voter Turnout Since 1908

We’ve all had a rocky 2020, but things have been particularly tense in the US this year.

Besides the Covid-19 pandemic, the country has faced wildfires, racial unrest, and massive protests across the nation.

This is why the 2020 presidential election is seen as one of the most important in modern history.

So, it’s no surprise that this year’s election could have the highest rate of voter turnout since 1908.

97.6 million Americans voted early in the 2020 election, either in person or by mail, far surpassing the total early vote in the 2016 presidential election.

In fact, early votes account for two-thirds of the number of votes cast in the entire 2016 election.

The overall voter turnout rate is predicted to be 67% this year, 2% more than in 1908.

A Candidate Can Win The Majority Of Votes, But Still Lose 

America’s voting system is a little, uh… weird. 

In 2016, Hilary Clinton, Trump’s opponent for the presidency, actually garnered more votes from Americans than him.

But, as well all know, she ended up losing.

This is because America has what’s called an Electoral College.

It is a set of electors who are selected to elect a president every four years.

There are 538 electors in total, and the number of electors more or less corresponds to the size of its population.

That’s why California – which is the state with the largest population – has the highest number of electors: 55.

Whichever candidate ends up getting the majority of electoral votes – 270 or more – wins the presidency.

The strange thing, as a Vox article noted, is that Americans aren’t technically voting for a president, they’re voting for representatives in the Electoral College who will cast the electoral votes for the president.

Typically, states will cast their electoral college votes for the candidate who won the majority vote at the polls.

If your head is spinning, you’re not the only one. Here’s an example to make things clearer.

Florida and New York both have 29 electoral college votes.

However, Florida has a bigger population than New York.

Let’s say the whole of Florida voted for Candidate A, and the whole of New York voted for Candidate B.

Candidate A would have received more individual votes, but he wouldn’t win the presidency, because he won the same number of electoral college votes as Candidate B.

So, it’s less about getting the popular vote, and more about getting votes in the right states.

Speaking of which…

Swing States Will Determine the Election

In US politics, you have what’s called swing states and safe states. 

Safe states are states which are assumed to go to a particular candidate due to a large base of support there.

Conversely, swing states are states which could be won by either the Democratic or Republican presidential candidate.

Since the safe states are assumed to be in the bag, candidates generally invest their time and money into the swing states in a bid to win them over.

Between 2000 and 2016, 38 states voted for the same political party in five presidential elections. Only the remaining 12 that have changed loyalties.

These are the states which are unpredictable. 

Thus, the candidate that wins over these states may end up winning the presidency.

This year, political observers believe there are 13 swing states: 

• Arizona (projected to be won by Biden)
• Iowa (could go either way)
• Ohio (projected to be won by Trump)
• North Carolina (could go either way)
• Georgia (could go either way)
• Florida (projected to be won by Trump)
• Nevada (leaning towards Biden)
• Texas (projected to be won by Trump)
• Minnesota (leaning towards Biden)
• Wisconsin (could go either way)
• Michigan (could go either way)
• Pennsylvania (could go either way)
• New Hampshire (projected to be won by Biden)

Still confused? Just think of Jurong GRC as the safe state for PAP, while Sengkang GRC as a “swing state”.

There Are a Record Number of Mail-in Votes

Unlike Singaporeans who have to get their butts off the sofa, Americans can vote by mail.

This isn’t a new thing, but has become particularly important during the 2020 election thanks to Covid-19.

With the coronavirus on the loose, millions more voters have chosen to submit their votes by mail, as it’s the safer option.

This has led to a record number of mail-in votes, something which could extend the counting process.

Early Results May Be Inaccurate

The only issue with postal votes is that it typically takes longer to count as they have to go through more verification steps, such as a signature and address check.

Since different states have different rules and deadlines for processing of mail-in ballots, the results announced on election night may not be accurate. 

For instance, some states such as Florida and Ohio allow processing of mail-in ballots to start weeks before election day.

However, other states such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin don’t allow early votes to be processed until Election Day.

Which means…

A Winner May Be Declared Later Than Usual

In previous elections, news organisations announce a winner on election night only as a projection based on partial counts. 

The US has never actually tallied all the votes on Election Day, as that would be impossible, but predicted a winner based on the votes counted so far.

That might be harder to do this year, however.

But the fact that the election results might be delayed isn’t a bad thing; it simply means that states are ensuring every vote counts. 

Trump May Not Accept The Results If He Loses

Now, if you win a game of Monopoly while playing with your friend and he refuses to accept defeat, you can roll your eyes, call him a “bad loser”, and move on with your life.

But if the president of the United States refuses to accept that he is no longer the president even if he loses the election, what the heck do you do?

In the months leading up to the election, Trump has repeatedly said that he may not accept the outcome of the election if he loses.

Why?

Because he claims he will only lose if the election is rigged.

Once, when asked outright if he would accept the election results, he said:

“I have to see,” Trump said. “Look – I have to see. No, I’m not going to just say yes. I’m not going to say no.”

Ah, as eloquent as ever. 

If he follows through on this promise, Trump may not grant Biden a peaceful transition of power if he loses, and may refuse to leave the White House like a child who doesn’t want to go to school.

If he literally barricades himself inside the White House and refuses to vacate, it’s not clear who would be in charge of removing him.

Whichever candidate you’re rooting for, you have to admit, this election might be the most interesting thing we’ve witnessed in 2020.