November 7, 2020 – After an election that seemed too close to call, several states like Nevada, finally called in their votes. Joe Biden, was announced by the media as the president elect, and for the most part, the election seems to be over. But with everything coming in the next few months, we are far from finished.

President Trump is currently calling for recounts in several key states; however, it is unlikely that any big turnaround will come from those, as we have a month until the electoral college is finalized. As a result of the recounts that Trump is pushing for, he has refused to concede (which means to admit that he has lost the election). This has put a bit of a hold on Biden’s transition to the White House. 

According to Carol Shackelford, a U.S Government teacher here at Bingham, “Even if there is a recount, Biden is so ahead in those [swing] states that, sure, there might be some ballots that were tabulated incorrectly, but not the large quantity that’s being alleged by the president’s campaign team or the president himself.”

The days leading up to January 20, will be a bit of an adventure as Biden picks cabinet members and plans out his presidency. Now that Biden is the projected winner, he will have to choose people to go in his cabinet. The 23 other people that make up his cabinet will be his advisors, and they will work together to solve problems. Each member (other than the vice president) will have to be nominated by the president elect, and then confirmed by the senate. In the coming weeks, we will see Biden and his running-mate, Kamala Harris, continue to look at and interview potential cabinet members. 

While there is still a lot of things still left to do before inauguration day, Biden has started announcing his plans for the country. As part of his upcoming inauguration, Biden has already announced part of his plan by creating a COVID-19 response team that will help to prepare a vaccine and to lower the spread of the virus.  

Biden and Harris have set some firsts in this election. Kamala will be the first female vice president. This is a major first in the White House and not Harris’s only feat. 

According to Andrew Solender, staff writer at Forbes magazine, “If elected, Harris would be the first woman, first woman of color and first Asian American to serve as either vice president or president, and the first Black American to serve as vice president.”

In December we will see the electoral college wrap up, and a final winner be officially announced. Also in the next month we will see Biden finish up interviews and announce his official cabinet members. Up until Biden takes office in January, we will see more plans of what will happen in his 4-year term. This transition will take time, and we will see how it takes place over the next two months as the new president starts his presidency.