This past Saturday, in an election unlike any this country has ever seen, Joe Biden was declared the President-elect of the United States, with the first female African-American VP, Kamala Harris, serving at his side. In flipping the battleground state of Pennsylvania, Biden won 20 electoral votes and catapulted himself to victory on the road to 270. The news was broken by a plethora of mainstream media outlets such as NBC, CBC, The NY Times, and Fox News, which came at a moment of high tension in one of the closest presidential races to date. However, there is still a level of uncertainty regarding the outcome of the election, to the dismay of some and the delight of others.  

In a personal statement released over the weekend, President Trump detailed that a team of lawyers would fight on his behalf to prove multiple counts of voter fraud and irregularities in some of the crucial swing states. States that were predicted to skew red flipped seemingly overnight, prompting Trump’s mission to take the election results to the Supreme Court and hold onto his position in the White house. 

This election year is unprecedented, whether it be in regards to voter turnout or the circumstances under which American citizens are voting. While the announcement of Biden’s victory may have given many Americans a brief sense of security because it marked the end of deep-rooted political divide, it was ironically short-lived. The tumultuous road to the White House is practically never-ending, and it has left the country in question once again. 

CHS junior Ohr Gutman spoke on how the news was broken to her, saying, “I was actually in the city when I found out and … there were people on the street, like, screaming, not out of pain or anger but joy – there was a lot of happiness in the city.” While many students were happy, an equal amount were shocked. Junior Dylan Kim explained his reaction saying, “I think that the results of the election somewhat surprised me given that I think Biden is a much weaker candidate in terms of conviction.” Dylan went on to compare the election to the 1948 election, Dewey v. Truman, citing Biden’s lack of strong stances and less passionate supporters. During an additional interview, an anonymous Sophomore claimed she was neither surprised nor happy about the results: “I knew Biden would probably win but I don’t really like either candidate.”

The students of Cresskill High School are mainly conflicted over whether or not the results of the election were subject to change. Freshman Emma Mor said that she believes Biden won the election fair and square. “I know Trump is claiming that some of the votes were fake and that he is going to take it to court,” she recalled, “but I think the results are pretty set in stone.” Ohr Gutman agreed, saying that, “I don’t think that [Trump] could [still win] because most of the [other states’] electoral votes were for Biden so even if they would recount the ballot, [he would still have] Electoral majority.”

Others argue that there is still hope for a second term under President Trump. The last time a presidential election was taken to the Supreme Court was in 2000 with the Bush v. Gore election, where it all came down to Florida and a 537 vote margin. The court ruled in favor of a recount which proclaimed Bush the president. 

The question of whether the media has the right to call the election or not is often shrouded in confusion. While the mainstream media projects the vote count of each state, the state is later expected to confirm this prediction, which is yet to happen this year. Many argue that the media should not call elections, but in truth, they never claim to. In today’s day and age, counting votes could take weeks, so in giving the public an accurate estimate of who will win, they are simply capitalizing on the tension that leads up to the election. The criticism over this year’s coverage of the election is rooted in distrust in mainstream media, a narrative that President Trump has been propelling since he ran for office in 2016. So essentially, the news outlets could be wrong about the vote numbers, but the last time that happened was in the Bush v Dewey election – and with today’s technology, we can assume Biden has successfully won 270 votes. If the election results were to flip, it would be the result of a Supreme Court ruling or lawsuit filed by the Trump administration. All in all, it’s safe to say the road to victory doesn’t end at 270. 

An election that was expected to provide security and structure to a country plagued by division and conflict has done just the opposite. The divisions present prior to Saturday afternoon have persevered the election and, if anything, become intensified, both nationally and within our very community.