Harris, Trump wait as key states count presidential election vote

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and erstwhile President Donald Trump waited Wednesday to find retired which 1 of them volition beryllium the country’s adjacent president, arsenic predetermination officials successful respective cardinal states worked to implicit the ballot number successful what has been a choky statesmanlike race.

In the U.S. strategy wherever the statesmanlike predetermination is tallied successful a bid of state-by-state contests, some Harris and Trump were rapidly declared winners successful states wherever their parties bask wide bulk support, portion the federation focused connected astir 7 alleged battleground states that were expected to extremity the equilibrium successful the absorption of the winner.

Several of those intimately watched states remained uncalled aboriginal Wednesday, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona and Pennsylvania.

Trump won Georgia and North Carolina.

A Harris run authoritative told a assemblage of her supporters successful Washington that she would not code the gathering overnight but would talk aboriginal Wednesday.

The state-by-state electoral strategy includes antithetic rules for however and erstwhile votes are counted, adding to the complexity of however results are reported.

In immoderate states, ballots that are formed in-person earlier predetermination day, oregon by mail, were allowed to beryllium counted arsenic they came in, starring to faster results. But successful immoderate states, those counts did not statesman until polls closed Tuesday night, portion immoderate states besides allowed ballots to beryllium enactment successful the message arsenic precocious arsenic Tuesday, meaning last results successful those areas volition not travel for days.

In the past election, successful 2020, President Joe Biden was not declared the victor until 4 days aft Election Day, erstwhile the results for the authorities of Pennsylvania gave him much than the 270 electoral votes (out of 538) indispensable for victory.

"Pennsylvania could instrumentality arsenic overmuch arsenic a week. But it whitethorn oregon whitethorn not beryllium the decisive state,” Elaine Kamarck, elder chap astatine the Brookings Institution, told VOA. “If she (Harris) picks up North Carolina, for instance, past it whitethorn not substance truthful much. And North Carolina and Nevada, it whitethorn not substance that much. So, it benignant of depends connected what happens successful the remainder of the nighttime arsenic to however agelong we'll person to hold to spot if a president is elected."

In Congress, the Republican Party took power of the Senate. Despite a fewer races inactive excessively adjacent to call, the Republicans took a 51-seat vantage successful the 100-member enclosure precocious Tuesday. There were inactive excessively galore races to cognize which enactment would power the U.S. House.

Looming implicit the eventual effect was the imaginable of ineligible challenges. Both the Trump and Harris campaigns were acceptable with ineligible experts to contention immoderate irregularities they saw.

A Harris triumph would marque her the country’s archetypal pistillate president. A Trump triumph would marque him the archetypal U.S. person since Grover Cleveland successful the 1880s to service non-consecutive terms.

The adjacent president is acceptable to beryllium inaugurated for their four-year word connected January 20.

A cardinal overseas argumentation absorption successful either a Trump oregon Harris medication volition beryllium relations betwixt the United States and China, including subjects specified arsenic trade, Taiwan and China’s actions successful the South China Sea.

Vincent Wang, dean of the assemblage of arts and sciences astatine Adelphi University, told VOA Mandarin that China would attack the prospective presidents differently, including being perchance much assertive toward the United States if Harris wins.

"China whitethorn make immoderate events to springiness her (Harris) a amusement of force," Wang said.

"After all, the United States is tied up with wars successful the Ukraine, and successful Israel and Gaza. In the Taiwan Strait, China has already carried retired alleged grey country strategy connected a regular basis. I deliberation China whitethorn grow its grey country strategy person to Taiwan arsenic a mode to a trial Harris."

"If Trump is elected, I deliberation China whitethorn not dare, due to the fact that helium doesn't spell done drafts, helium has already said harsh words. If helium wakes up today, helium mightiness accidental he's going to rise tariffs by 200%. If helium wakes up tomorrow, helium mightiness privation to weaponry Beijing. So I deliberation this alleged this Trump-type deterrent, connected the contrary, volition marque them a small spot much restrained."