South China Morning Post published this video item, entitled “Joe Biden declares ‘clear victory’ after tight US 2020 presidential race” – below is their description.
Joe Biden has become the 46th US president-elect after projections show he has earned more than 270 Electoral College votes — enough to beat incumbent Donald Trump in the 2020 US elections. The victory for Biden and his vice-presidential running mate, Kamala Harris, became apparent on November 7 after several days and nights of ups and downs for their campaign.
On election night November 3, inconclusive results showed Trump initially ahead in several key battleground states including Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona. But as ballots were counted in the days that followed, Biden chipped away at Trump’s leads. Media outlets eventually projected Biden and Harris to flip Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada and Georgia, wins that would send them to the White House.
Biden also won the popular vote, with more overall votes than any other candidate in US history. Under the US Electoral College system, however, the presidency is awarded based on wins in each state. The electoral race was much closer, with Biden only projected to be the winner after he had secured the US state of Pennsylvania to put him above 270 electoral votes. Biden has a total of 284 electoral votes so far, compared with 214 for Trump, according to the Associated Press.
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In This Story: Electoral College
The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of electing the president and vice president. Each state appoints electors equal in number to its congressional delegation. Federal office holders cannot be electors.
Of the current 538 electors, an absolute majority of 270 or more electoral votes is required to elect the president and vice president. If no candidate achieves an absolute majority there, a contingent election is held by the United States House of Representatives to elect the president, and by the United States Senate to elect the vice president.
The appropriateness of the Electoral College system is a matter of ongoing debate. Supporters argue that it is a fundamental component of American federalism by preserving the Constitutional role of the states in presidential elections. Candidates must appeal to a broad and diverse set of states rather than focusing only on the few U.S. cities with the highest population densities.
Critics argue that the Electoral College system is less democratic than a direct popular vote and that the College violates the democratic principle of “one person, one vote.” Thus, a president may be elected who did not win the national popular vote, as occurred in 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016.
In This Story: Vote
Voting is a method for a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, in order to make a collective decision or express an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holders of high office by voting. Residents of a place represented by an elected official are called “constituents”, and those constituents who cast a ballot for their chosen candidate are called “voters”. There are different systems for collecting votes, but while many of the systems used in decision-making can also be used as electoral systems, any which cater for proportional representation can only be used in elections.
In smaller organizations, voting can occur in different ways. Formally via ballot to elect others for example within a workplace, to elect members of political associations or to choose roles for others. Informally voting could occur as a spoken agreement or as a verbal gesture like a raised hand or electronically.
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