Election Help Desk: 11/16/20

Today, we cover the progress made toward calling election and the latest on the presidential race

 

 

 

 

 

Ballotpedia's 2020 Election Help Desk

November 16, 2020

Welcome to Ballotpedia's Election Help Desk Newsletter. We're following results for 9,756 elections held on Nov. 3. This morning, we cover:

• Progress made toward calling elections
• The latest on the presidential race
• Noteworthy lawsuits 
• Upcoming absentee/mail-in ballot receipt deadlines and certification/canvassing deadlines

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Days Since the Election: 13

 

 

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Election Results Progress

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Click here to read how Ballotpedia calls races. Click here for Ballotpedia's coverage scope.

Ballotpedia is tracking results in 9,761 elections, including each state in the presidential election. Here's the status of these elections as of 5 p.m. on Nov. 16, subject to change as more results come in:

• 90.90% (8,872) are called 
• 9.01% (880) are uncalled
• 0.09% (9) are contested

 

 

 

 

Presidential Election Update

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As of 5 p.m. on Nov. 16:

• 48 of 50 states + D.C. called in the presidential election
• Uncalled states: Georgia and North Carolina. 
• 217 electoral votes for Donald Trump (R)
• 290 electoral votes for Joe Biden (D)
• Lawsuits in five states regarding presidential election results

 

 

 

 

Noteworthy Disputes

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Here's the latest on noteworthy recounts, lawsuits, and other election disputes.

Recounts

• New Hampshire: On Nov. 13, election officials completed recounts for three New Hampshire House of Representatives districts: Hillsborough 15, Hillsborough 16, and Hillsborough 19. The recounts did not change the outcomes. Each district elected two representatives. The results are: 
• Hillsborough 15: Erika Connors (D), Mark Warden (R)
• Hillsborough 16: Joshua Query (D), Barbara Shaw (D)
• Hillsborough 19: Kendall Snow (D), Dick Marston (R)

All 400 New Hampshire House seats were up for election on Nov. 3. Republicans won majorities in both chambers of the state legislature, changing New Hampshire from a divided government to a Republican trifecta. 

Lawsuits

We are tracking 35 post-election lawsuits, 17 of which directly involve at least one of the two major presidential campaigns. For complete details on all of the lawsuits we're tracking, click here. 

• Arizona: On Nov. 13, attorneys for the Trump campaign dropped a lawsuit in which they had alleged that ballots with facial irregularities (e.g., apparent overvotes, stray markings, etc.) cast in-person on Election Day were illegally disqualified without additional review. In a court filing, attorneys said, "the tabulation of votes statewide has rendered unnecessary a judicial ruling" on the presidential election.
   
• Pennsylvania: On Nov. 15, attorneys for the Trump campaign filed an amended complaint in Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. v. Boockvar, a federal lawsuit in which the campaign alleges election officials illegally accepted some absentee and mail-in ballots. The campaign dropped its allegation that election officials unconstitutionally prevented campaign observers from monitoring the counting process. The campaign continues to challenge other categories of ballots, including those for which voters were given an opportunity to fix defects. 
   
• Dismissals: On Nov. 16, four federal lawsuits contesting various aspects of the presidential election were voluntarily dismissed—one each in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Neither the Trump campaign nor the Biden campaign participated directly in these lawsuits, all of which sought to postpone certification of election results pending resolution of ballot challenges. James Bopp, Jr., was the lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the four lawsuits. 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming absentee/mail-in voting deadlines

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Two states have upcoming secondary receipt deadlines for absentee/mail-in ballots. In these states, ballots generally must have been postmarked on or before Election Day, but they will be accepted if they are received within a certain number of days after Nov. 3. These secondary receipt deadlines are listed below in chronological order.

• Nov. 17:
  • Illinois
• Nov. 20:
  • California

For coverage of all dates, deadlines, and requirements, click here.

Upcoming certification deadlines

Twelve states are scheduled to certify their election results between Nov. 16 and Nov. 23. 

• Nov. 16:
  • Virginia
• Nov. 17:
  • Florida
• Nov. 18: 
  • Arkansas
  • Idaho
  • Massachusetts
• Nov. 20:
  • Georgia
  • North Dakota
• Nov. 23: 
  • Kentucky
  • Maine
  • Michigan
  • Pennsylvania
  • Utah

Eight states have already certified their election results: Delaware, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming.
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And a Dose of Calm

 

 

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