Honestly, it feels like a lifetime ago, doesn't it? The year 2020 was already a fever dream of lockdowns and sourdough starters before we even got to the political heavyweight match of the century. If you're wondering how did 2020 election go exactly, you aren't alone. It wasn't just a Tuesday in November; it was a grueling, multi-day marathon that changed how we think about voting entirely.
The basics are simple enough. Joe Biden, the former Vice President, took on the incumbent, Donald Trump. Biden won. But the "how" of it is where things get wild. It was a race defined by a global pandemic, record-shattering turnout, and a "blue shift" that kept everyone glued to their screens for a week.
The Numbers That Defined the Night (and the Week)
Biden ended up with 306 electoral votes, while Trump landed at 232. If those numbers sound familiar, it’s because they are the exact mirror image of the 2016 results, just flipped.
On the popular vote side, Biden cleared over 81 million votes. That is the most any presidential candidate has ever received in American history. Trump didn't exactly have a small showing, though—he pulled in 74 million, which was also a record for a sitting president.
- Voter Turnout: About 66.8% of eligible citizens voted. That's the highest since 1900.
- The Tipping Points: Biden flipped the "Blue Wall"—Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
- The Surprises: Arizona and Georgia went blue, which basically no one saw coming twenty years ago.
It wasn't a landslide in the traditional sense. While Biden won the popular vote by 7 million, the actual Electoral College margin came down to just about 44,000 votes spread across Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin.
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Why We Didn't Know the Winner on Tuesday
Usually, you go to bed on election night knowing who the boss is. Not in 2020. Because of COVID-19, millions of people used mail-in ballots. In states like Pennsylvania, the law didn't allow officials to even start opening those envelopes until Election Day.
This created what experts call the "Red Mirage" and the "Blue Shift." Since Trump supporters were more likely to vote in person, the early tallies on Tuesday night looked like a Republican blowout. But as the mail-in ballots (which leaned heavily Democratic) were processed over Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, the lead evaporated.
It wasn't until the morning of Saturday, November 7, that the major networks finally called Pennsylvania for Biden, pushing him over the 270 threshold.
The Georgia Drama and the Senate
The story didn't actually end in November. Because of Georgia's specific laws, neither of their Senate races hit the 50% mark. This triggered a double runoff in January 2021.
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Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock ended up winning both seats. This was huge. It created a 50-50 split in the Senate, making Kamala Harris—the first woman and first person of South Asian and African descent to be Vice President—the tie-breaking vote. It effectively gave Democrats a "trifecta" (the House, the Senate, and the White House).
What Most People Get Wrong About the 2020 Election
A lot of people think the pandemic just "happened" to the election, but it actually fundamentally re-engineered it. We saw the birth of "hybrid campaigning." Biden stayed in his "Delaware basement" for a lot of it, doing virtual events, while Trump kept the large-scale rallies going.
There's also a misconception that the youth vote was the only thing that saved Biden. While Gen Z and Millennials favored him by roughly 20 points, according to Pew Research, he actually made significant gains with suburban men and older voters compared to Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Litigation and Challenges
Post-election, the Trump campaign filed dozens of lawsuits in states like Pennsylvania and Michigan. They alleged everything from signature fraud to issues with voting machines. Almost all were dismissed for lack of evidence or standing, including by judges appointed by Trump himself. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) even called it "the most secure in American history," which led to some high-profile firings in the administration.
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The tension culminated on January 6, 2021, when the certification of the results was interrupted by the Capitol riot. It was a dark moment that underscored just how polarized the country had become.
Actionable Takeaways: What You Can Do Now
Understanding the 2020 cycle isn't just a history lesson; it's a roadmap for future elections. Here is how you can use this info:
- Check your state's mail-in rules. Many states changed their laws after 2020. Don't assume the 2020 rules still apply. Visit Vote.gov to see your current local deadlines.
- Volunteer as a poll worker. 2020 showed us that the "how" of voting depends on real people in gyms and community centers. They always need help.
- Diversify your news diet. The "Red Mirage" was so confusing because different outlets focused on different data streams. Looking at a mix of sources (like AP, Reuters, and local papers) gives a better "big picture" view.
- Verify before you share. Misinformation was at an all-time high in 2020. Use non-partisan fact-checkers like PolitiFact or FactCheck.org before hitting that retweet button.
The 2020 election showed that the system is both incredibly robust and surprisingly fragile. It survived a pandemic and a constitutional crisis, but it also left a legacy of deep distrust that we’re still navigating today. Knowing the facts helps cut through the noise.
I can help you look up specific state-level results from 2020 if you're curious about how your own county voted.