The United States presidential elections whenever is held is always seen as a global affair. Since the first election of George Washington in 1788 to the last one held in 2016. All US Presidential elections have always drawn global attention. With 538 Electors, a candidate must receive at least 270 votes to be elected to the office of President or Vice President.

The US 2020 presidential elections have become a talking point not just in America, but in the rest of the world. After months of bitter campaigning and controversies, the US Presidential elections have finally come to an end, while the entire world awaits the result of this keenly-contested battle.

The US had over 100 million early votes – both in-person and via mail ballots – were cast even before the Election Day this year This was unlike the last three general elections in the county, this year the winner was not clear on the election night as counting of mail ballots is very cumbersome.

From the ongoing results and counting which is now rounding up. It is obvious the Democratic and former Vice President Joe Biden is leading in votes over his rival the incumbent president Donald Trump. In the meantime, we bring you some interesting Top 10 facts that make US election 2020 different from the previous ones held.

1. Voting by mail or otherwise: This year, the pandemic has sparked an unmatched shift to early voting, by mail or otherwise, and rising expectations that days or weeks might pass before the outcome is known. A record 100 million Americans opted for early voting in the presidential polls. Vote-by-mail is a new thing for many states in 2020, but for Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, and Washington, all-mail elections are the norm. Oregon made record by having its very first vote-by-mail election all the way back in 1981.

2.An usual Polls amidst the pandemic: It is the first time a presidential election has been held in the throes of a deadly pandemic that has affected not only every corner of the country, but the rest of the world. During the 1918 midterm election, in the midst of the Spanish flu pandemic, saw voter participation drop 20% – although the fact that 2 million men were fighting in World War I also had an effect. By the time Republican Warren G Harding won in 1920, the flu had passed.

3. Most expensive elections: The 2020 US election cycle, including presidential and congressional races, came with an unprecedented $14 billion, making it the most expensive polls in history. The figure is more than the combined figures of the amount spent during the last two election cycles.

4. If defeated, Donald Trump will be the first president ever to be defeated by a former vice president and also the first incumbent US President to lose re-election since George Bush Sr. in 1992. While if Trump’s re-election would mark the first time in US history that voters re-elected four presidents in a row. The current record of three was set by the team of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe in the years from 1801 through 1824. Later, Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama also shared the record from 1993 and 2016.

5. Oldest President: If elected, Biden will beat Trump’s record as the oldest president ever to take the oath of office. Biden, who began his political career as the sixth youngest US senator in history when he was sworn in at 30 years, one month and 14 days old, would eventually become the oldest president elected and the oldest to serve at the age of 78 years and two months on Inauguration Day.

6. Biden could be the 15th vice president to ultimately get the top job, and one of only six to ascend by election rather than the resignation, natural death or assassination of a sitting president. The previous holder was George Bush Snr who as Vice President won the 1988 elections to became US 41 president.

7. If elected, Kamala Harris would become the first female US vice president in history. She will also be the first black woman to run for Vice President and the first south Asian VP nominee.

8. Former American Vice President and Democrat Presidential nominee Joe Biden broke the record of receiving the highest votes ever for a presidential candidate in the history of US politics. The previous holder was Barack Obama. In the 2008 elections, Barack Obama secured 69,498,516 votes, the most ever, and now Joe Biden has surpassed that tally with a record 74,816,005 votes at the time of this report.

9. Supreme court ruling on contensions results: President Trump has resulted to the Supreme court to contest some of the Presidential election results. The last time the result wasn’t clear within a few hours was in 2000, when the winner wasn’t confirmed until a Supreme Court ruling was made a month later which confirmed George Bush Jr. as the elected President.

10. The electoral college which began with 69 in the first US election of 1788 has since increased to 538 since 1964 till the present election. If the Electoral College were to tie — 269 Biden, 269 Trump — the House of Representatives would be responsible for deciding the next president. Instead of each representative getting a vote, however, each state delegation would get one vote, regardless of the state’s size. That means that the party that holds the majority of representatives in each state would presumably be able to vote for its candidate.

SOURCE: https://dambela.com/2020/11/07/top-10-facts-about-the-us-presidential-elections-2020/