After three days of awaiting results in key battleground states such as Nevada, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Georgia, Joseph R. Biden was projected to be the 46th president of the United States on Nov. 7 by major news networks, succeeding the incumbent Donald J. Trump. This election was record-shattering in a multitude of ways. Kamala Harris will become the first female, Black and Asian vice-president, and Biden will become the oldest president ever elected. 

“When I found out Biden won, I felt a huge wave of relief come over me,” junior Alyssa Dausch said. “I watched Biden’s victory speech, and my family and I had a celebratory dinner.”

According to National Public Radio, 93 million people voted early, the most ever. Additionally, according to Vox, approximately 64 million voted via mail-in ballot, according. Biden’s late lead in states such as Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania was credited to an overwhelming majority of mail-in ballots voting for Biden as mail-in ballots were counted last in those states. According to Politico, 78% of the mail-in votes in Pennsylvania, the state that put Biden over the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election, went for Biden. 

The 2020 presidential election brought out the most voters in American history in support of a candidate. Over 74 million voters chose Biden and Harris, including an overwhelming voter turnout among young adults. According to Vox, about 53% of young adults in the U.S. voted in this election, compared to 45% in 2016. 

“As a woman of color, I was ashamed of what our country has normalized in terms of racism and women’s rights,” senior Adriana Barrera said. “I don’t think it felt like a choice to vote, but more of a necessity.”

Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor and the current junior senator from California, is the vice president-elect. The daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, Harris will become the first Black, Asian and female vice president once inaugurated in January, as well as the first woman or Asian person to occupy either the presidency or vice presidency.

“[Kamala Harris] will definitely be a trailblazer for other women of minorities, since they will be more motivated to try something that they may have thought they were not able to do,”  sophomore Nidhi Padakanti said. 

Biden, the former vice president to Barack Obama, will become the oldest president in American history at age 77, eclipsing his predecessor’s record of 70. While some of his adversaries argued that his age would contribute to mental decline, Biden has repeatedly stated it is not a problem. 

Despite Biden being elected president, Trump has refused to concede the presidency. On Nov. 5, Trump declared that the outcome of the election had been altered by widespread voter fraud in a White House address. His campaign has announced that Trump will be pursuing legal challenges to refute the election results continuing on Monday, Nov. 9.

“Trump refusing to concede the election is refusing democracy because he is not supporting the decision of citizens,” Padakanti said. 

In response, the Biden campaign condemned Trump’s refusal to concede and has asked their supporters to donate to the Biden Fight Fund in case a legal defense team is needed. Biden believes that Trump is further dividing the country with his refusal. 

In his victory speech, Biden promised to unify the country by serving as a president for all, a cause that resonates with many Americans, as 74% of Americans believe that America is politically divided, according to U.S. News and World Report. 

“Unification in America is of the utmost importance, as it always will be,” Barrera said. “Everyone deserves a chance to be loved and accepted for who they are.”

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