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Election 2020 updates: Biden warns of 'dark winter,' pushes masks in pandemic plan

The president-elect emphasized how he would handle the pandemic response.

Joe Biden is set to become the 46th president of the United States, capping a tumultuous and tension-filled campaign during a historic pandemic against President Donald Trump. ABC News characterized Joe Biden as the apparent winner of his home state of Pennsylvania, putting him over the 270 vote threshold needed to capture the presidency.

The hard-fought battle against the president was set against the backdrop of racial unrest and the coronavirus pandemic and bitter divisions among the electorate.

Trump had falsely declared on election night, when he held a lead in several key states, that he won the contest and alleged without evidence, after the count started to swing the other way, that the election was being stolen from him and that fraud had been committed.

Painting the election as a "battle for the soul of the nation," Biden won on a message of unity over division, compassion over anger, and reality over what he called Trump's "wishful thinking" as the coronavirus pandemic cast a heavy shadow over the campaign.

The 2020 election has shattered voting records with votes totaling 147 million and counting, surpassing the 138 million who voted in 2016.

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Here's how election week unfolded. All times Eastern.
Nov 03, 2020, 4:30 PM EST

Harris makes last-ditch appeal to Michigan voters

Sen. Kamala Harris made two stops in the Detroit area Tuesday as part of a last-ditch effort to get out the vote in the battleground state where Trump narrowly won in 2016. 

Harris' first stop was a canvass kickoff at Union Hall in Southfield. Harris thanked the 120 people in the crowd and spoke about the importance of Michigan and encouraged those to vote for Democrats down-ballot. 

“Today is the day that the path to the White House runs right through this hood, right through Michigan,” she said.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris arrives at Metro Airport in Romulus during on Election Day in Michigan, Nov. 3, 2020.
Rebecca Cook/Reuters

Harris gave a version of her stump speech, framing Donald Trump as incapable of handling the pandemic, economic downturn and race issues.  Lawmakers Rep. Brenda Lawrence, Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Sen. Gary Peters were all in attendance. 

Harris' second stop was outside of a church in Detroit where she greeted a much smaller crowd.

“You know, in Michigan, the last election for president, in 2016, the outcome of that election was decided, on average, by two votes per precinct in Michigan, two votes,” Harris said. “Can you imagine if each of us just pulled out another two people to make sure they voted today? That could determine who will be the next president of the United States of America.“

Harris has now boarded her plane and is en route to Wilmington, Delaware, for the campaign’s Election Night event. 

-ABC News’ Averi Harper

Nov 03, 2020, 4:00 PM EST

Polls close in Puerto Rico 

The polls are closing in Puerto Rico.

Nov 03, 2020, 3:57 PM EST

Experts say there have been 10 million misinformation robocalls since June

Officials in at least six states -- including Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, Kansas, Nebraska and New York -- have reported that voters in their states have received misleading robocalls, in what a senior Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) official says amounts to voter intimidation.

There have been approximately 10 million of these robocalls since June, according to the robocall-blocking software group YouMail.  The CEO of YouMail, Alex Quilici, told ABC News that the robocalls were placed in 316 area codes across the country.

According to a senior CISA Official, the FBI is investigating the robocalls. CISA is the cyber arm of the Department of Homeland Security. 

The robocalls urge voters to “stay home and stay safe” and falsely claim that voting is extended until tomorrow due to the long lines at the polls.

In a statement, the FBI said it was aware of the robocalls but could not comment further. The FBI urged Americans to get the latest information from state and local election officials.

New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced her office is actively investigating allegations that voters are receiving robocalls spreading disinformation encouraging people to stay home on Election Day. 
 
-ABC News’ John Santucci and Luke Barr

Nov 03, 2020, 3:29 PM EST

Biden heads to Wilmington, Delaware, after stop in Philadelphia

Biden heads to Wilmington, Delaware, after stop in Philadelphia
Joe Biden is on his way to Wilmington, Delaware, after making a stop in Philadelphia, where was welcomed by what looked like at least a hundred supporters and campaign organizers.

"As goes Philly, so goes the state of a Pennsylvania," Biden told his supporters.

Biden also stopped by Relish restaurant in Philly’s West Oak neighborhood, where he briefly went inside to meet with local elected leaders.

Following the brief stop, Biden then went to a canvassing event where he thanked a crowd for an “incredible” turnout at the polls.

Biden ticked through familiar portions of his stump speech, vowing to get a handle of COVID-19 and to be a president to all of America, not just his supporters.

Closing out his remarks, Biden once again urged everyone to get out and vote today if they hadn’t already, before expressing his affection for his two home states -- the one he was leaving, and the one he will be spending Election Night in.

“Lastly, I said this earlier. It’s expected there’s already over 110 million who have voted in the United States. They’re expecting up to 150 million, the largest turnout ever,” he said. “If you haven’t gotten everybody out, get them out. Get out and vote. It ain’t over ‘til it’s over and when it’s over we’re gonna win Pennsylvania because of you.”

While in Wilmington, about an hour’s drive away, Biden is expected to stop into the east side of the town.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle

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