Election 2020 presidential results

By Meg Wagner, Melissa Mahtani, Melissa Macaya, Fernando Alfonso III, Veronica Rocha and Amanda Wills, CNN

Updated 1020 GMT (1820 HKT) November 6, 2020
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10:23 p.m. ET, November 5, 2020

It's almost 10:30 p.m. ET. Here's where the race to 270 stands.

Joe Biden keeps gaining ground in Georgia tonight, and he's now in a near tie with President Trump in that traditionally red state.

It's a different story in Arizona, where Biden's advantage has narrowed, but he stills appears to be on a path toward nearing the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

Biden currently has 253 electoral votes, while Trump has 213.

Here's a look at where things stand in the closest contests:

10:17 p.m. ET, November 5, 2020

Nevada governor calls Trump's remarks "dangerous"

From CNN’s Andy Rose

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak arrives for a news conference at the Grant Sawyer State Building in Las Vegas, on Tuesday, September 29.
Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak arrives for a news conference at the Grant Sawyer State Building in Las Vegas, on Tuesday, September 29. Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP

As the state’s presidential election results remain too close to call, the Democratic governor of Nevada has criticized President Trump’s claim Thursday that the election is being stolen from him.

“President Trump’s comments to the American people tonight on the election were misleading, dangerous, and – most concerningly – false,” Gov. Steve Sisolak said in a written statement.

Joe Biden led in Nevada by more than 11,000 votes Thursday night, with no further updates expected from the state until Friday.

Saying he had “utmost confidence” in his state’s election officials, Sisolak promised they would continue to make sure every vote is counted, regardless of the President’s statements.

“It was clear that the intent of his message was to undermine the public’s confidence in the integrity of our election processes and system, which in turn undermines one of the core pillars of our democracy,” Sisolak said.

10:07 p.m. ET, November 5, 2020

What to expect from the count in Georgia tonight 

President Trump's lead in Georgia continues to shrink and is now at less than 2,000 votes as ballots continue to be counted through the night.

In Georgia, the Election Day votes were counted first and the mail-in ballots second, CNN's John King said. There are roughly 16,000 votes still to be counted in the state, he added.

"We know there are places where we still have votes out. We know they include a small number of ballots in Fulton County, where Atlanta is," King said. "We're waiting to see there are more ballots in Cobb County. Several hundred only but we know they're out there. And you keep coming across that's Fulton, Gwinnett County at 95%. A lot of this is coming from the metro Atlanta area."

The bigger picture: Trump can't afford to lose Georgia's 16 electoral votes if he wants to reach the 270-electoral-vote threshold. He currently has 213 electoral votes.

CNN's John King has more:

9:36 p.m. ET, November 5, 2020

Trump's lead in Georgia continues to narrow with new Clayton County results

From CNN's Josiah Ryan

Joe Biden continued to cut into President Trump's narrow lead in Georgia, with new results just released in Clayton Country, CNN's John King reports. 

Of the roughly 1,300 votes released around 9:15 p.m. ET, 1,154 were for Biden while 165 were for President Trump, giving Biden 86% of the votes in that tranche.

Clayton County, a Democratic stronghold included in the Atlanta metropolitan area, still has 5,726 uncounted ballots which officials say will be released by midnight.

If Biden continues to win votes at 86% or above, Clayton County alone could put Trump's path to the presidency in serious peril, noted King. 

9:37 p.m. ET, November 5, 2020

Where things stand in Arizona now

Written by CNN's Leinz Vales/Analysis from John King

Joe Biden’s lead in Arizona continues to narrow, with President Trump receiving 42,276 and Biden with 31,700 in the latest batch of counted votes.

Biden has 50.1% of the vote in the state compared to Trump's 48.5%.

The former vice president leads Trump in the state by approximately 46,257 votes.

“We are seeing, in Arizona, the opposite of what we are seeing in Georgia and Pennsylvania,” John King said during CNN’s special election coverage.

“They have a Republican history in Maricopa County. President Trump carried the county last time. This is one of the most fiercely contested states in American politics.”

Why this matters: Eleven electoral votes are at play in the state. Both candidates need 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. Biden currently has 253 electoral votes, while Trump has 213.

Officials from Maricopa County, the most populous in the state, are expected to speak in a news conference soon.

CNN's John King breaks down the map:

9:19 p.m. ET, November 5, 2020

Arizona's attorney general says the use of Sharpie pens "did not result in disenfranchisement"

From CNN's Kevin Flower

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said Thursday the use of Sharpie pens on election ballots "did not result in disenfranchisement."

"Based on correspondence and conversations with Maricopa County officials, we are now confident that the use of Sharpie markers did not result in disenfranchisement for Arizona voters. We appreciate the county’s prompt insight and assurances to address public concerns," Brnovich tweeted.

In a letter replying to the Maricopa County Attorney's office about the issue, Brnovich said his office had received hundreds on inquiries on the topic and would continue to follow up on individual complaints and concerns.

False claims that using Sharpie pens could invalidate ballots in Arizona prompted a top Department of Homeland Security official on Thursday to urge people to stop spreading disinformation online connected to the so-called "#SharpieGate" rumors.

Those rumors fueled outrage among protesters Wednesday night, and prompted a lawsuit, joined by the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, filed against Maricopa County election officials.

Some context: Rumors began to spread on social media Wednesday that voters in Arizona who used Sharpie pens on their ballots wouldn't have their votes counted. That confusion prompted state officials, election monitors and a top Trump administration official to push back on "#SharpieGate" rumors.

CNN's Geneva Sand, Bob Ortega, and Ashley Fantz contributed to this report.

9:02 p.m. ET, November 5, 2020

What to expect from the count in Arizona tonight 

From CNN's Josiah Ryan

Maricopa Country officials in Arizona are expected to release around 100,000 more votes tonight, even as protesters gather outside the elections facility in support of President Tump, CNN's Bill Weir reports from Phoenix. 

Joe Biden has lost 10,000 votes from his lead today, reports Weir. If the 7 p.m. MT, drop holds a 17 point or greater advantage for Trump, it could mark a comeback for the President in Arizona.

CNN's Bill Weir walks through the latest:

8:56 p.m. ET, November 5, 2020

Pennsylvania's Allegheny County has "35,000 uncounted ballots," official says

From CNN's Leinz Vales

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said Thursday that there’s “about 35,000 uncounted ballots” and so far the ballots that have been counted are “about 80 to 81% for Joe Biden and a little over 19% for Donald Trump.”

“They are all mail-in,” Fitzgerald said about the uncounted ballots. “Those are the ballots that weren’t able to be processed. One of the 28,000 of those is a batch that was mailed to the wrong address, and then we’re re-mailed, and because of a court order, by a federal court, we are not allowed to begin processing and counting those ballots until 5 p.m. on Friday.”

Remember: Twenty electoral votes are at stake in the state. Both candidates need 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. Biden currently has 253 electoral votes, while Trump has 213.

8:45 p.m. ET, November 5, 2020

There are more than 18,000 outstanding ballots in Georgia

From CNN’s Jason Morris

Almost all of the outstanding ballots in Georgia —18,636 — are absentee ballots, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office told CNN earlier Thursday.

According to his office, here’s where most of the outstanding ballots across Georgia are coming from: 

  • Clayton County: 5,726 (The early ballots lean heavily to Joe Biden.)
  • Cobb County: 700 (The early ballots lean to Biden. It's an Atlanta suburb that Hillary Clinton won by a small margin in 2016.)
  • Floyd County: 444 (The early ballots lean heavily to President Trump.)
  • Forsyth County: 4,713 (The early ballots lean heavily to Trump.)
  • Gwinnett County: 4,800 (The early ballots lean heavily to Biden.)
  • Laurens County: 1,797 (The early ballots lean to Trump.)
  • Taylor County: 456 (The early ballots lean to Trump.)

 CNN’s Marshall Cohen contributed to this report.