JAKARTA - The vote counting process for the United States (US) Election is still ongoing. Extraordinary dynamics took place. What are some important developments from the US elections which officially began three days ago, November 4?
Unlike the previous elections, the counting process, especially in Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania, was slower than most other areas.
In Pensylvannia, for example. The Republican-controlled legislature refused to change a law that allows district election officials to count ballots until 7am.
This made the local election officials with mountains of ballots unable to immediately finish the vote count due to their limited time. While the counting process was still ongoing, a lot of drama was taking place.
On the morning of November 4, Donald Trump claimed victory, going live to announce he had won. Even though the vote count has not been completed. He also threatened to take legal action against votes for him that had not yet been counted.
"Frankly, we won this election," Trump said.
At that moment, in a state of tension because the count in swing states was still running and the positions of the two candidates were not fixed, Trump spoke in front of about 150 guests, only a few of them wearing masks. Donald Trump Jr, Ivanka Trump and other family members sit in the front row.
"Millions and millions of people voted for us tonight, and a group of people who are very sad are trying to deprive that group of people and we will not support it," Trump said with shouts and cheers.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden, the superior candidate, decided to remain calm. Joe Biden maintained his victories in a series of important states enough to give him the presidency.
Delivering a short speech on the afternoon of November 4, Biden said it was clear his side had won enough states to get the 270 electoral votes needed to secure the presidency.
"I'm not here to say we've won," said Biden, "but I'm here to report when the count is over, we're sure we'll be winners."
Biden's confidence is not without reason. Quoting The Guardian, Biden has won victories in several swing states, namely Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin. Nevada has not finished tally of votes, but is expected to be won by Biden. Trump took the lead in Georgia, before being overtaken by Biden.
Trump's lawsuitDefeat in the area was deemed cheating by Trump. Trump's campaign team then filed lawsuits in Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Judges in Georgia and Michigan quickly rejected the charges.
Nevada has also said it rejects any legal challenge Trump's campaign team poses to the election results. This was conveyed directly by the Attorney General from the Democratic Party Aaron Ford.
"We feel very immune. If you look at the track record we have made against Mr. Trump," Ford said. "(Trump) sued us twice, maybe three times. Each time we can work with the district attorney and beat the lawsuits."
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Street and social media commotion
Donald Trump also accused cheating on his social media accounts. As a result, Twitter alerted Trump and labeled Trump's tweets as potentially misleading content.
This content breakdown is not the first. Previously, Twitter and Facebook also took firm action by taking down Trump's post accusing the US Supreme Court of the vote in Pennsylvania.
Trump supporters also did not accept the defeat. A demonstration was held in Phoenix on Wednesday, November 4 evening. Some of them reportedly carried weapons.
They had tried to go to the center of the count before finally being asked to leave. The protesters were a mixture of Trump supporters and some far-right figures familiar with the demonstrations in the state.
In contrast to the protests in Michigan and Pennsylvania, where Trump supporters called for a halt to vote counting, protesters in Phoenix chanted "stop theft!" and demanded that the remaining ballots be tabulated. Meanwhile, in Seattle, Portland and Oregon, hundreds have taken to the streets demanding a full tally of all ballots and an end to Trump's litigation.
The atmosphere heated up as Trump, on the evening of Thursday, November 5, sent a signal that he had no intention of leaving power unreserved if he ended up losing the election. This is the most dangerous statement in American history.
"This is a case where they tried to steal votes," said Trump, who spoke for about 15 minutes in a White House conference room.
Meanwhile, Biden as usual delivered a short speech intended to project optimism and urge patience in the ongoing vote count. "In America, voting is sacred. That's how the people of this country express their wishes," said Biden.
The latest developments at 4:30 p.m. EST, Joe Biden still lead with an electoral vote of 264 votes and Trump's 214 votes, according to The Guardian. Each candidate must gain 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.
Ballots are still counted in several major states. Electoral officials in Pennsylvania promised to complete most of the extraordinary tally by Friday, November 6.
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