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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Election results may not come Tuesday night
ABC News' Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos reminded voters that the results of the elections may not be final Tuesday night.
"Counting could take some time this year -- and that is okay," Stephanopoulos said. "Not knowing the outcome tonight does not mean the process is broken. It does not mean the election is unfair."
Polls close in 16 states and District of Columbia
The polls are closing in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, District of Columbia, Delaware, Connecticut, Tennessee, South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Mississippi and Alabama.
Biden projected to win Vermont, Trump to take Kentucky
Biden will win Vermont and Trump will win Kentucky, ABC News projects.
Vermont carries three Electoral College votes and Kentucky carries eight.
FBI concerned with election security
ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas said the FBI is concerned about disinformation from bad actors in the coming days.
"If we don't know who the president is for a couple days, they expect and anticipate that we will see foreign nations and others try to stoke disinformation and chaos and undermine the democracy," Thomas said.
Thomas also noted that voting Tuesday was orderly, saying that law enforcement was grateful that there was not violence at the polls.