If you were glued to your TV or refreshing Twitter every five seconds back in November 2020, you probably remember that weird, heavy silence that hung over the country for days. It wasn't like 2016 where we had a result by 3:00 a.m. Instead, we got a long, drawn-out week of "too close to call" graphics and map nerds in khakis explaining the nuances of Maricopa County.
So, honestly, what day was the 2020 election decided? Most people will tell you it was Saturday, November 7, 2020. That’s the day the major news networks finally bit the bullet and called Pennsylvania for Joe Biden. But if you’re a stickler for the law, that wasn't the "official" end. The whole thing actually played out across four different "decision days" depending on how you define the word "decided."
The Moment the World Knew: November 7, 2020
At exactly 11:25 a.m. ET on Saturday, November 7, the Associated Press (AP) called Pennsylvania for Joe Biden. This put him over the 270 electoral vote threshold.
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CNN had actually jumped the gun about two minutes earlier at 11:24 a.m. NBC, ABC, and CBS followed within minutes. It was a weirdly sunny Saturday for much of the East Coast, and I remember people literally running into the streets to cheer (or, depending on where you lived, protesting in total disbelief).
Why did it take four days?
Basically, the pandemic changed everything. Because so many people voted by mail, and because states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin aren't allowed to start processing those mail-in ballots until Election Day itself, the "Red Mirage" was real. Trump looked like he was winning big on Tuesday night, but as those paper ballots—which leaned heavily Democratic—got scanned, the lead evaporated.
The "Safe Harbor" and State Certification
Even after the media makes a call, the election isn't legally over. States have to go through a grueling process of canvassing and certifying the results.
For the 2020 cycle, the "Safe Harbor" deadline was December 8, 2020. This is a massive date in the U.S. Code. Essentially, if a state settles its disputes and certifies its results by this day, Congress must accept them as conclusive. By December 8, every state except Wisconsin had met this deadline, effectively locking in Biden’s win.
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December 14: The Electoral College Meets
If you want to be technical, the election was "decided" when the electors actually met and cast their physical paper ballots. That happened on Monday, December 14, 2020.
Electors met in all 50 state capitals and D.C. to cast 306 votes for Joe Biden and 232 for Donald Trump. This was the moment the "President-elect" title became more than just a media label. It was a formal, constitutional reality.
January 6, 2021: The Official Count
We all know what happened on this day for the wrong reasons. But constitutionally, January 6 is when Congress meets in a joint session to open the certificates and count the votes.
Because of the attack on the Capitol, the process was interrupted for hours. It wasn't until the early morning hours of January 7, 2021, that Vice President Mike Pence officially declared Joe Biden and Kamala Harris the winners.
Why the Wait Felt So Much Longer This Time
You’ve probably wondered why we used to get results by midnight and now it feels like we’re waiting for a week-long miniseries to conclude.
- The Mail-In Surge: In 2020, over 65 million people voted by mail. Verification takes time. Signatures have to be matched. Envelopes have to be opened.
- Narrow Margins: In states like Georgia, the margin was less than 12,000 votes. When a race is that tight, you can't "project" a winner until almost every single provisional and overseas ballot is processed.
- Legal Challenges: The Trump campaign filed dozens of lawsuits in battleground states. While most were dismissed quickly, they added a layer of procedural "noise" that kept the "decided" date feeling up in the air.
Key Dates for the 2020 Election Decision
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Election Day | November 3, 2020 |
| Media Declaration | November 7, 2020 |
| Safe Harbor Deadline | December 8, 2020 |
| Electoral College Vote | December 14, 2020 |
| Congressional Certification | January 7, 2021 |
What Most People Get Wrong About the "Call"
A common misconception is that news networks "decide" the election. They don't. The Decision Desks at places like the AP or Fox News (who famously called Arizona very early in 2020) are just using math to say, "There aren't enough votes left for the other person to win."
It’s a statistical certainty, not a legal one.
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The real decision happens at the county level when local officials—your neighbors, basically—finish the math and sign the paperwork. In 2020, that process was more transparent than ever, yet it became a flashpoint for massive amounts of misinformation.
Actionable Takeaways for Future Elections
If you're looking back at 2020 to prepare for how future elections will work, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Don't trust the "Tuesday Night" lead: If a state has a lot of mail-in ballots, the early results are almost always skewed. This is often called the "Blue Shift."
- Watch the "Certification" calendar: The media call is for our convenience; the state certification (usually late November) is the legal weight.
- Follow the "Safe Harbor" date: This is the most underrated date in the election cycle. Once a state hits Safe Harbor, the door for legal challenges is mostly slammed shut.
If you really want to understand the mechanics of how we pick a president, your next step should be looking up your own state's Certification Deadline. Every state has different rules—some take two days, some take three weeks. Knowing your local timeline helps you tune out the noise when the next election cycle gets heated.