Despite President-elect Joe Biden garnering 306 certified electors to secure the Electoral College vote on Dec. 12,  President Donald Trump has yet to concede and continues to claim widespread election fraud. Attorney General William Barr announced on Dec. 1 that the Justice Department has found no evidence of voter fraud that would overturn the result of the election in Trump’s favor. 

“To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election,” Barr said. 

Trump’s campaign has filed a series of lawsuits alleging election irregularity in several crucial swing states in the election, including Wisconsin, Georgia and Pennsylvania. All of these states were won by Joe Biden, each by tens of thousands of votes. 

Forty-two of the 43 legal challenges that have been brought by Trump and his campaign alleging voter fraud have ended in defeats; the most recent of which occurred on Dec. 3, when the Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to hear a new legal challenge of election fraud in the state. Trump had asked the court to cancel more than 221,000 ballots in the state’s two biggest Democratic counties, alleging irregularities in the way absentee ballots were administered. Biden won Wisconsin by around 20,700 votes, according to the Associated Press.

In Georgia, state election officials finalized the results of a hand recount on Dec. 4. This recount affirmed Biden’s victory in the state by nearly 13,000 votes. Georgia is also the state where two special elections will be held in January that will determine the majority of the U.S. Senate.

Trump’s legal defeats come as President-elect Joe Biden has started to put together the first major decisions of his presidential transition team, including nominating former Chair of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen for Treasury Secretary and Ron Klain as White House Chief of Staff.  More high profile cabinet picks are expected in the next several days and weeks. Biden has also announced the formation of a COVID-19 Advisory Board co-chaired by former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler and Yale University epidemiologist professor Marcella Nunez-Smith. 

“Dealing with the coronavirus pandemic is one of the most important battles our administration will face, and I will be informed by science and by experts,” President-elect Biden said. “The advisory board will help shape my approach to managing the surge in reported infections; ensuring vaccines are safe, effective, and distributed efficiently, equitably, and free; and protecting at-risk populations.”

Biden wins presidency; urges unity in first speech

Joe Biden was projected as the 46th President of the United States early on Nov. 7, a win that denied President Donald Trump a second term and sent Biden’s supporters into jubilant reactions around the country. Biden became the President-elect after winning the states of Pennsylvania and Nevada, awarding him a total of 290 electoral votes out of the 270 needed to win. Biden is the oldest man ever to be elected to the presidency, at 78-years-old when he takes office in January. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is the first female, first African-American and first person of South Asian descent to become vice president. In his victory speech at his campaign headquarters in Delaware, Biden urged unity between opponents and vowed to fight for all Americans. “I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but unify, who doesn’t see red states and blue states, only sees the United States, and work(s) with all my heart, with the confidence of the whole people…”

 “For all those of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple of times myself. But now, let’s give each other a chance,” Biden said. “It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again. And to make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents as enemies.” 

Vice president-elect Kamala Harris also spoke during the victory celebration and pledged that Biden would help all Americans. “We have elected a president who represents the best in us, a leader the world will respect and our children will look up to, a commander-in-chief who will respect our troops and keep our country safe, and a president for all Americans.” 

Biden also announced that he would form a new coronavirus task force that will work to get the virus under control once he is inaugurated. “This plan will be built on bedrock science. It will be constructed out of compassion, empathy, and concern. I will spare no effort, none, or any commitment to turn around this pandemic.” he said.

 “I pledge to rebuild our economy so it works for working people, to root out systemic racism in our justice system and society,” she said. “To combat the climate crisis, to unite our country and heal the soul of our nation. And the road ahead will not be easy. But America is ready. And so are Joe and I.”

President Trump, meanwhile, has refused to concede or even acknowledge his defeat to Biden, claiming in a tweet on Saturday, without evidence, that he believed the election was being stolen from him. “THE OBSERVERS WERE NOT ALLOWED INTO THE COUNTING ROOMS. I WON THE ELECTION, GOT 71,000,000 LEGAL VOTES. … MILLIONS OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS WERE SENT TO PEOPLE WHO NEVER ASKED FOR THEM!” Trump said.

Biden and Harris will both be officially inaugurated on Jan. 20 of next year.

Trump and Biden clash in crucial swing states day after election

President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden continue to fight in several states that are crucial to winning the presidential election. Tuesday night, Trump won the crucial swing states in Ohio and Florida, and on Nov, 13, won North Carolina. Tuesday night Biden h won the swing state of Arizona while also winning Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia in the days that followed. A total of four states, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan and Georgia have flipped from the previous election in 2016. Early Wednesday morning, Trump prematurely tried to claim victory even though several states are still counting ballots. 

“I want to thank the American people for their tremendous support. Millions and millions of people voted for us tonight and a very sad group of people is trying to disenfranchise that group of people, and we will not stand for it,” Trump said. “We won’t stand for it.” Trump also falsely claimed that he had won North Carolina and suggested that the Supreme Court might decide any disputed ballots. “We’ll be going to the U.S. Supreme Court,” Trump said. “We want all voting to stop. We don’t want them to find any ballots at 4:00 in the morning and add them to the list.” Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden also delivered remarks at his election headquarters in Wilmington, Del.

“We knew this was going to go long,” Biden said. “We feel good about where we are. We really do.” 

As of 6:10 p.m. Nov. 13: All states have now been counted. 

Biden finishes with 306 electoral votes while Trump finishes with 232. 

270 electoral votes are needed to win the election.

Calling the election state by state:

Data is from NBC News, The New York Times and the Associated Press

At the time of this article’s publication, the following states are too close/early to call: Georgia and North Carolina.

Electoral vote count: Biden 290, Trump 217. (270 needed to win).

All times are in Pacific Time.

4:00 p.m..: Trump wins Indiana.

4:18 p.m.: Biden wins Vermont.

4:58 p.m.: Trump wins Kentucky.

5:00 p.m.: Biden wins New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland and Delaware. Trump wins Oklahoma.

5:12 p.m.: Trump wins Tennessee. 

5:21 p.m.: Trump wins West Virginia.

5:23 p.m.: Biden wins Connecticut.

5:51 p.m.: Trump wins Arkansas.

6:00 p.m.: Biden wins New York.

6:08 p.m.. Trump wins Nebraska.

6:09 p.m.:  Trump wins South Dakota.

6:18 p.m.: Biden wins Colorado.

6:20 p.m.: Trump wins North Dakota.

6:25 p.m.: Trump wins Alabama.

6:32 p.m.: Trump wins South Carolina.

7:14 p.m.: Biden Wins New Mexico.

7:22 p.m.: Trump wins Louisiana.

7:24 p.m.: Trump wins Kansas.

7:25 p.m.: Democrats retain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

7:25 p.m.: Biden wins New Hampshire.

7:30 p.m.: Trump wins Utah.

7:39 p.m.: Trump wins Missouri.

7:41 p.m.: Biden wins Illinois.

7:51 p.m.: Trump wins 3 of Nebraska’s 5 split electoral votes.

7:52 p.m.: Trump wins Mississippi.

7:54 p.m.: Trump wins Wyoming.

8:00 p.m.: Biden wins California.

8:00 p.m.: Biden wins Oregon.

8:00 p.m.: Biden wins Washington.

8:57 p.m.: Trump wins Ohio.

9:03 p.m.: Trump wins Idaho.

9:04 p.m.: Biden wins Virginia.

9:07 p.m.: Biden wins Hawaii.

9:39 p.m.: Trump wins Florida.

9:51 p.m.: Trump wins Iowa.

10:09 p.m.: Trump wins Texas.

10:10 p.m.: Trump wins Montana.

10:12 p.m.: Biden wins Rhode Island.

10:29 p.m.: Biden wins 1 split electoral vote in Nebraska.

10:35 p.m.: Biden wins Minnesota.

11:52 p.m.: Biden wins Arizona.

12:07 a.m. Nov. 4.: Biden wins 3 of the 4 electoral votes in Maine.

11:26 a.m. Nov. 4.: Biden wins Wisconsin.

12:00 p.m. Nov. 4.: Trump wins 1 electoral vote in Maine.

1:25 p.m. Nov. 4.: Biden wins Michigan.

8:27 a.m. Nov. 7.: Biden wins Pennsylvania and the presidency.

11:02 a.m. Nov. 7: Biden wins Nevada.

6:34 a.m. Nov 11: Trump wins Alaska.

11:14 a.m. Nov. 13: Trump wins North Carolina.

11:27 a.m. Nov 13: Biden wins Georgia