Joe Biden won the recount of Georgia as legal efforts by Donald Trump’s allies to challenge his defeat were dismissed in three states.
Biden defeated Trump by 12,284 votes, according to the audit required by state law. The recount found the error rate was no greater than 0.73% in any county.
During the audit this week, nearly 6,000 untallied votes were found, which mostly went to Biden.
Biden is set to take office in January as the 46th US president.
Biden had said Trump knew he was not going to win and had shown “incredible irresponsibility” by not conceding.
Biden’s victory margin in the public vote overall stands at more than 5.9 million. His victory in the US Electoral College system, which determines who becomes president, is projected to be 306 to 232 – far above the 270 he needs to win.
Legal Setbacks For Trump:
Republicans lost their final lawsuit in Georgia as a court rejected their effort to block the results’ certification, which is due to happen on Friday. The judge who dismissed the case was appointed by Trump last year.
In Arizona, a judge rejected a lawsuit filed last week by the state Republican Party seeking a new audit of ballots in Maricopa County, home to Phoenix – the state capital and largest city.
In Pennsylvania, the Trump campaign lost their bid in state court to throw out more than 2,000 postal ballots.
Backdoor Entry:
American media are speculating that Trump will try to get Republican-friendly state legislatures in key states to override the choice of voters and instead select members of the US Electoral College who would be favourable to the president.
Mr Trump has invited Michigan’s Republican lawmakers to the White House.
Instead of winning by direct popular vote, a US president must accumulate a majority of “electors” that each state is designated according to its congressional representation.
Most states determine these based on who won the popular vote there.
But federal law says statehouse legislators have the power to pick electors if the state has “failed to make a choice”.
This would appear a long shot as no evidence of electoral fraud has been shown and to potentially disenfranchise millions of voters would spark uproar.