Biden Elected President

TIME for Kids reports on the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Former vice president Joe Biden has won the 2020 presidential election. He will become the 46th president of the United States. His running mate, Kamala Harris, will become vice president. The two will be sworn in on Inauguration Day. That’s January 20, 2021.

The Associated Press announced Biden’s win on November 7, four days after Election Day. Biden was named the projected winner after he took the state of Pennsylvania. That pushed his total number of electoral college votes past 270. To win the presidency, a candidate needs at least 270 out of 538 electoral votes.

Later that day, Biden also won the state of Nevada. That took his total number of electoral votes to 290. After winning Alaska on November 11, President Donald Trump had 217 electoral votes. At press time, a winner hadn’t been announced in Georgia and North Carolina. Officials are still counting ballots, but these states don’t have enough electoral votes to change the outcome of the race.

Biden has won the popular vote, too. As of November 12, Trump had about 72 million votes while Biden had about 77 million.

“America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country,” Biden wrote on Twitter on November 7. “The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans—whether you voted for me or not. I will keep the faith that you have placed in me.”

At press time, Trump had not conceded the election. He has said he will challenge the results in court. Throughout the election, Trump expressed doubt about the country’s mail-in voting system. But there has been no evidence of a widespread problem.

Americans voted in record numbers. The percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot was the highest it has been since 1900. In some states, the candidates’ vote tallies were not far apart. Recounts are expected. Georgia’s secretary of state has already announced that the state will recount its ballots. And the Trump campaign has said it will request another count in Wisconsin. Electoral college rules say states should complete recounts by December 8.

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This story appears in the November 20, 2020, print edition of TIME for Kids. It was published online on the afternoon of November 12. It has not been updated.