Following the November 3, 2020 presidential election, states canvassed results, conducted required audits and recounts, and certified their presidential electors under state law. Joe Biden won 306 electoral votes to Donald Trump’s 232.
Trump and allies challenged results in several states, citing alleged irregularities. Courts dismissed or rejected many claims for procedural or evidentiary reasons; the existence of litigation did not itself demonstrate widespread fraud. State election officials from both parties defended their certified results.
The National Archives’ Electoral College records and the Federal Election Commission’s official results provide the baseline against which subsequent claims and efforts to change the outcome should be evaluated.
State certification and the Electoral College are distinct steps. Recounts can alter totals, but certified results and certificates document the outcome actually transmitted for counting.
The official result of the 2020 Electoral College was 306 votes for Joe Biden and 232 for Donald Trump. States certified their results under state law, and the National Archives preserves the certificates of ascertainment and votes. Recounts, audits and litigation occurred in several states; they did not change the Electoral College winner.
Election certification occurs through state procedures, not through a single national announcement. Recounts and audits can check tabulations, but they operate under specific state rules and deadlines. The 2020 disputes therefore require attention to the records and legal process of each state rather than treating all challenges as one proceeding.
A recount can change a margin without changing the winner. Similarly, a lawsuit may contest a procedure without producing evidence sufficient to overturn a certified result. The history of 2020 is clearer when it tracks which state certified what result, what review followed, and whether any official action changed the outcome.