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Spanish – The narrow margin between candidates, the postponement of the count in key states, and the controversial vote by mail have raised doubts about the transparency of the U.S. presidential election results.
Consequently, President Donald Trump’s team decided to put the spotlight on Wisconsin and Michigan because of alleged irregularities in the vote.
“There have been reports of irregularities in several Wisconsin counties which raise serious doubts about the validity of the results. The President is well within the threshold to request a recount, and we will immediately do so,” Bill Stepien, Trump’s campaign director, said in a statement.
Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien:
"There have been reports of irregularities in several Wisconsin counties which raise serious doubts about the validity of the results. The President is well within the threshold to request a recount and we will immediately do so.” pic.twitter.com/YwiNAxzocx
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) November 4, 2020
With 99% of the votes counted and only a difference of 20,517 votes, the state of Wisconsin officially went to the Democratic candidate, Joe Biden.
According to The Associated Press report of that 99 percent count, Joe Biden has 49.6 percent of the vote, while Trump has 48.9 percent.
Fox News shows very similar numbers (Biden’s 49.6% vs. Trump’s 49.0%). In 2016, Wisconsin voted for Donald Trump’s candidacy.
The statement from Donald Trump’s campaign team adds that despite the polls that projected that Trump would lose in that state, the Republican Party is confident of the voters’ support. Wisconsin represents ten electoral votes out of the 270 that one candidate needs to be elected president.
Lack of clarity in Michigan
The U.S. President’s team is closely monitoring developments in the process, so it also warns of other irregularities in Michigan and has filed a lawsuit in the Court of Claims.
They point out that the team has not had representative access to the polling places to observe the opening of the ballots and the counting of votes, as guaranteed by state law.
“We have filed suit today in the Michigan Court of Claims to halt counting until meaningful access has been granted. We also demand to review those ballots which were opened and counted while we did not have meaningful access. President Trump is committed to ensuring that all legal votes are counted in Michigan and everywhere else,” the statement reads.
Trump campaign statement on #Michigan lawsuit pic.twitter.com/T7FSfp3MVA
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) November 4, 2020
This state represents 16 electoral votes, and with 99% of the votes counted, Biden gets 49.8% versus 48.7% for Trump. Given this narrow difference, the state, despite the Republican claim, was awarded to Biden.
Warning about process
These elections have kept not only Americans but also much of the world on edge because of the significance of the United States in world geopolitics. The decisions made by the White House will define the course of action of many governments.
Since early Wednesday morning, Donald Trump warned about the possible intentions of the Democratic Party to steal the elections.
“We are up big, but they are trying to steal the election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the polls are closed,” the president said on Twitter.
Trump’s messages have been deemed “misleading” by the Twitter platform. During those first hours, vote counting was paused in Georgia and Pennsylvania, where Biden was initially leading, and then the count turned around in favor of Trump.
Hours later, both states are not officially defined, even though Georgia has counted 97% of the votes with 50% for Trump and 48.8% for Biden, the state represents 16 votes out of the 270 total requirement.
Pennsylvania has 20 electoral votes, and with 88% of the votes counted, Trump leads the election with 51.5%, compared to 47.3% for Biden.
Joe Biden asked for an early count of each ballot this Wednesday morning. With 264 electoral votes, the former vice president of Barack Obama is just six away from declaring himself the winner. His hope is centered on Nevada, the only state in contention where he has a narrow 0.6% lead.
