On November 7, the Associated Press called the Presidential Race, announcing that Former Vice President Joe Biden will be the forty sixth president of the United States.

   Additionally, Biden’s running mate Senator Kamala Harris will be the forty ninth Vice President of the United States, according to Fox News. She will be the first female Vice President, the first Black Vice President, and the first South Asian Vice President in US history (foxnews.com).

   In an effort to keep voting safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, record numbers of absentee ballots were turned in, meaning election results were delayed for a time. Experts had warned that election results could be delayed at least a week or longer due to the changes in voting habits posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the crisis that the U.S. Postal Service faced according to CNBC. The election was called on the Saturday following Super Tuesday (cnbc.com).

   According to CNN, in the 2016 Presidential election, Donald Trump won the presidency earning 306 electoral votes. Democrat Hillary Clinton lost, earning 232 electoral votes despite winning the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes (cnn.com).

   According to The San Diego Union Tribune, Councilwoman Barbara Bry offered her congratulations when she conceded to Todd Gloria, the new Mayor of San Diego (sandiegouniontribune.com). 

   Both Bry and Gloria are Democrats, meaning that either way, one of them would have replaced Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer according to CBS 8 News. Gloria was considered the front runner after the primaries; however, the race became much more competitive (cbs8.com). 

   Both absentee voting and mail in voting refer to the method of using the mail to deliver ballots to voters, according to the Washington Post. “Absentee voting has become so common that in 34 states and the District, any voter can ask for an absentee ballot, even if the voter is physically able to vote in person on Election Day, a practice called no-excuse absentee voting,” says The Washington Post.

   Some states still require voters to cite a specific reason when requesting to vote absentee. This year, the rules have been relaxed allowing voters to cite fear of COVID-19 as a valid response. The decentralized election administration allows states to make their own rules and regulations regarding elections (washingtonpost.com).

   In this election cycle, Senior Wesley Hunt was old enough to vote and dropped off his ballot. “I was happy to be able to vote in an election so soon. I think it’s every person’s responsibility to vote if they have the chance,” said Hunt.