Donald Trump secures enough to be next US President, on course to claim Michigan
US Elections: Michigan, a swing state, has 15 electoral college votes, making it a crucial state for both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
The counting of votes in Michigan is underway. Till now, 95% of votes have been counted, and Republican candidate Donald Trump is leading with 50.1% of the votes. Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has received 48.1% of votes so far.
Overall, Donald Trump won the US elections of 2024 by securing 277 votes. Trump has been elected as the 47th president of the United States.
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A candidate needs at least 270 votes (out of 538 nationally) to clinch the election. Also, the candidate can win despite trailing the runner-up in popular vote.
Check Details about Michigan state
Why is Michigan crucial: As the winner need not have more popular votes than the runner-up, Michigan’s 15 votes make it critical for both, Vice President Harris, a Democrat; and ex-President Trump, a Republican.
Also, the state has voted the Democrats since the 1990s, with Trump being the sole exception in 2016.
Pre-poll surveys: In its pre-poll survey, CNN has given a healthy five-point lead to Harris (48%).
2020 result: Joe Biden, now the outgoing Commander-in-Chief, did a clean sweep over Trump, then the incumbent, securing 50.62% of the votes (51.3% nationally).
Current controversy: In three of the swing states, including Michigan (Pennsylvania and Wisconsin the other two), the Republican National Convention (RNC) filed lawsuits challenging how these states were handling voting for the Americans living overseas. The RNC alleged American citizens living abroad were being allowed to register to vote in these states even if they’d never lived there.
However, courts dismissed either the lawsuits or rejected emergency action.
Separately, a Chinese student has been charged for allegedly voting despite not being a US national, sparking a debate about electoral security and integrity. The incident occurred at the University of Michigan.
Early voting numbers: Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said nearly 2.6 million (26 lakh) of its more than 7 million (70 lakh) registered voters have already voted. The 17-day, early ballot period will conclude on Sunday, ahead of the November 5 Election Day.