- 2020 Election Update
Voter turnout on Election Day was record-breaking, as CNBC projects nearly 160 million Americans voted yesterday. According to the Associated Press, the leading candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win. Several key states are still too early to call, including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia and Michigan.
As the race currently stands at 12:15 p.m. EDT, Joe Biden has a slim lead in electoral votes over Trump, posting 238 electoral votes to Trump’s 213. Mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin have not yet been fully counted.
Trump claimed Indiana’s electoral votes last night at 9 p.m. EDT, as AP posted a substantial 19.6% victory.
Trump has publicly claimed a national victory and “wants all voting to stop,” whereas Biden believes, “the American people will decide.”
2. DePauw students shares their voting experience
On Election Day, The DePauw held an Instagram poll asking students and faculty how long they waited in line to vote. Of the 23 followers who responded, only two students mentioned they waited more than an hour. Some students voted early, and most of the followers who responded said they didn’t have to wait in line for more than 20 minutes.
One student made a seven hour round trip to vote, another student made a six hour round trip to vote, yet most reported simply walking to the polls.
On another Instagram poll, students were asked how they voted. 57 DePauw students reported mail-in absentee ballots, 37 students reported in-person early voting, 13 students reported voting in-person the day of, and 7 students reported that they couldn’t vote.
To let us know what your voting experience was like, you can respond to the Instagram poll here, or contact The DePauw here.
3. COVID-19 Update
Per the DePauw COVID-19 dashboard, there are still currently six students in isolation. There are now 61 students in quarantine; 50 DePauw students were placed under quarantine earlier this week.
4. Mental Health Services
As election season winds down, election support, along with healthy coping and virtual coping, are available to sign up for. According to DePauw’s website, “Paying attention to and caring for your emotional health goes a long way when difficult times approach us. Counseling Services is offering numerous non-clinical virtual spaces for students to discuss the impact the election has and will have on their mental health.”
For more information, click here.