Overwhelming majority of votes cast at DAC on Election Day went to Biden | The Triangle

Overwhelming majority of votes cast at DAC on Election Day went to Biden

Photograph by Gina Vitale for The Triangle.

The Drexel University polling center at the Daskalakis Athletic Center on 3301 Market St. had 87.54 percent of its votes cast in favor of former Vice President Joe Biden on Election Day, Nov. 3.

Students who are living on or around campus and other members of the West Philadelphia community voted in this electoral center. It was composed of the 10th, 18th and 19th Divisions of the 24th Ward of the City of Philadelphia, said Tim Dowling from the County Board of Elections.

Among all of the votes cast at the DAC, Biden had a total of 513 voting machine ballots cast on election day, making his count 85.03 percent of the 10th Division votes, 85.37 percent of the 18th Division votes and 90.18 percent of the 19th Division votes. Of the 586 ballots cast on campus, one was a write-in vote, 66 were for Donald Trump and six were for Libertarian nominee Jo Jorgensen, according to the Office of Philadelphia City Commissioners website.

These votes contributed to the massive number in favor of Biden in Philadelphia that, after four days of uncertainty, allowed him to win the state of Pennsylvania. The win gained him 20 more electoral votes and projected him as the winner of the presidential elections, the Associated Press reported on Saturday, Nov. 6.

The count in Pennsylvania was very tight between him and current president Trump, making it one of the states that could decide who would be the United States’ next president. Biden needed either Pennsylvania or two states among Arizona, Nevada and Georgia to reach the 270 electoral votes needed to win. On the other hand, Trump needed Pennsylvania and three states among North Carolina, Arizona, Nevada or Georgia to reach the 270 mark, BBC reported.

Nonetheless, it was the unprecedented high amount of mail-in ballots that changed the lead of the state, going from the majority of votes in favor of Trump on Election night to a Biden win on Saturday. Additionally, these mail-in votes could only begin to be opened the morning of Election Day, which delayed the process for more days, NPR said.

Since Election Day, some Philadelphians who supported Trump went to the Constitution Center in Old City to protest the counting of votes, while Biden supporters protested for every vote to be counted. On Saturday, more Philadelphians, including many Drexel students, joined the streets by City Hall and the Constitution Center to celebrate Biden’s projected victory, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Despite the recognition of Biden’s win from most media, President Trump has not accepted the election’s results and is holding lawsuits in different states, including Pennsylvania. He and his team are asking for recounts and claiming alleged fraud in mail-in ballots, CNBC reported.