ABC CBS, CNN, FOX News and NBC News have projected that Joe Biden will win Michigan. There are 16 electoral votes at stake in Michigan. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the 2020 presidential election. As of 5:00 p.m. the count was 253 for Joe Biden and 213 for President Trump.
Biden currently holds a lead of roughly 61,000 votes in Michigan with 97% of votes reported. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says all votes are most likely to be counted before the day is over.
Earlier, Wisconsin was also called for Joe Biden, giving him a victory in two states flipped by Trump four years ago. As of 5:00 p.m. Joe Biden leads the race in Electoral votes and the Popular vote count. Six states have yet to report enough counted votes for a projection: Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Earlier today, the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit in Michigan state court demanding Michigan stop counting votes statewide until representatives from the campaign are provided meaningful access to observe mail-in ballots being opened and processed. Lawyers for President Trump say the secretary of state is not allowing challengers to observe the process.
Michigan law provides that poll challengers can monitor officials’ administration of an election to assure that the election complies with Michigan’s Constitution and Election Code. Ryan Jarvi, press secretary for Attorney General Dana Nessel, responded: “Michigan’s elections have been conducted transparently, with access provided for both political parties and the public, and using a robust system of checks and balances to ensure that all ballots are counted fairly and accurately.”
The Trump campaign followed that Michigan suit filing with three more legal actions in Pennsylvania. Early this morning, Trump attempted to sow doubt in the election process and falsely claimed victory in the election before most votes were counted and any state announced an official winner.
Election experts have said for months that the margins between Trump and Biden could narrow with the tabulation of absentee ballots. That’s because public opinion polls indicated that more Democratic voters would vote absentee while more Republican voters planned to vote in person. The Detroit Free Press cites L2, a political data services company, who found roughly 62% of Michigan absentee ballot voters were likely Democratic voters while only 29% were likely Republican voters. Michigan was prohibited by law from counting mail-in ballots before Election Day.