On Friday evening (Nov. 6), Democratic nominee Joe Biden is slated to address the nation, according to a campaign official.
The official did not provide details about what the address would cover, but The Hill reports that the Democrats are hopeful the news networks will call the presidential race for Biden. Currently, votes are still being counted in Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Nevada, but Biden is leading in all of them.
The former vice president needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidency and as of this moment, he has 253. President Donald Trump, who currently has 213 electoral votes, is not showing any signs of conceding.
After Biden took the lead in Georgia, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced that that there will be a recount of votes.
“The focus for our office and for the county elections officials for now remains on making sure that every legal vote is counted and recorded accurately,” Raffensperger said during a press conference. “As we are closing in on a final count, we can begin to look toward our next steps. With a margin that small, there will be a recount in Georgia.”
“Interest in our election obviously goes far beyond Georgia’s borders,” he continued. “The final tally in Georgia at this point has huge implications for the entire country.”
At the time of this publication, Biden is leading by 1,553 votes in the Peach State. Election officials have completed counting for 99% of the ballots that have been received.
“We are literally looking at a margin of less than a large high school,” added Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s voting system implementation manager. “When you have a narrow margin, little, small things can make a difference. So, everything’s going to have to be investigated to protect the integrity of the vote.”
Earlier this week, the Trump campaign filed lawsuits against Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan. The president questioned the integrity of the voting process and claimed election officials did not allow Republican poll watchers to be present at the polling sites.