1,312 years.  That’s how long it will likely take for another Delawarean to be elected president. After months of campaigning and speeches, Delaware’s own Joe Biden will become the nation’s 46th President. Along with Biden’s victory brings the nation’s first female, African American Vice President — Kamala Harris. With the final results, Joe Biden has the majority of electoral college votes with 290.  He surpassed Donald Trump’s 232 electoral college votes. Biden received over 74 million votes, which is the most votes casted for a single candidate in the country’s more than 230 year history. Many people in Delaware, whether Democrat or Republican, are ecstatic for Biden’s inauguration in Washington, which will take place on Wednesday, January 20, 2021.

Although it may seem as though Trump lost the presidency by a considerable margin, it may actually be closer than we think. Trump received 47.5% of the nation’s votes, while Biden received 50.8%. Of the electoral college votes, Trump will receive 39%, while Biden will receive 53%. These numbers may seem skewed and that is because of the electoral college. The way the electoral college operates is that each state is assigned a certain number of electoral votes, based on their population. California, for example, has 55 electoral college votes, while Delaware has just 3. With few exceptions, the candidate who wins the majority of the popular vote for any given state will receive all of that state’s assigned number of electoral votes. The candidate who then reaches 270 electoral college votes first wins the election. This sometimes means that the candidate with the majority of the popular vote in the nation will not win the election.

Following the edict of Biden’s presidential victory, many Republicans showed signs of unrest. To contextualize this, it should be noted that due to the global pandemic, many people chose the option of mail-in ballots. Many Republicans, consequently, have argued that this was the sole cause of Biden’s triumph over Trump. After all, a majority of the mail in ballots had Biden’s name on them. Some might claim that these ballots could have easily been changed before reaching their intended destination or that the ballots were fraudulently casted. Further, the global pandemic has made both the Republican and Democratic parties paranoid. As a point in case, both Biden and Trump said the opposing candidate would try to alter the vote number. This brought with it a lot of tension and heated debates prior to the election.

In the days that followed Biden’s victory, many Republicans showed their feelings through protests, riots, and other organized events. Many people formed car lines in which they drove around their town or city, peacefully sharing their thoughts and opinions on Biden’s election into presidency. Although many peaceful protests occurred, riots started to form, including one particularly large gathering in Portland, Oregon. The national guard was employed after rioters were seen smashing windows. Along with the havoc of protests and riots, President Trump filed a lawsuit in hopes of turning the election results in his favor.

Biden gave his victory speech just miles from our school on Saturday, November 7th. In his speech, Biden addressed the tension, saying, “I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but to unify. Who doesn’t see red and blue states but a United States.” He then went on to thank those who contributed to his campaign. Biden, at the age of 77, will be the nation’s oldest President when he takes office. January 20th will be a day to remember, not just for Delawareans but for the entire nation. We will likely never see another president get elected from Delaware in our lifetime and possibly for centuries to come. Whether you voted for Joe Biden or Donald Trump, millions of Americans will be witnessing history on January 20th, 2021.