Skip to main content

Who Won the 2020 Presidential Election?

COUNTING BALLOTS On November 4, election workers in Detroit, Michigan, count absentee ballots. JEFF KOWALSKY—GETTY IMAGES

As of November 5, two days after Election Day, no winner had been declared in the 2020 presidential election. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, many more people voted early or by mail. At press time, mail-in and absentee ballots ballot PW ballot ADAMKAZ—GETTY IMAGES a sheet of paper used to cast a private vote in an election (noun) She entered the voting booth to mark her ballot. were still being counted.

Election experts say it’s important to be patient while waiting for the official vote count. They say it could be days, or even weeks, before Americans know the outcome of the election.

Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden both still have a chance to win. A few states have yet to award their electoral votes electoral vote PW Electoral Vote OMERSUKRUGOKSU—GETTY IMAGES a vote cast in a presidential election by a member of the electoral college (noun) The state of California gets 55 electoral votes. . Ballots are still being counted in battleground states battleground state PW-Battleground-state SDI PRODUCTIONS—GETTY IMAGES a state in which there is a close race between the leading candidates (noun) The candidate made several trips to Michigan, which is a battleground state. such as Georgia and Pennsylvania. These states will play a big part in determining the winner.

Both candidates addressed the nation early on November 4. Trump said his team is “getting ready to win this election.” Biden said his team feels “good about where we are.”

This story appears in the November 13, 2020, print edition of TIME for Kids. It was published online on the afternoon of November 5. It has not been updated.

More from Election 2020