Biden, the first candidate to win more than 80 million votes

Washington (CNN) – Joe Biden is already the first presidential candidate to have won more than 80 million votes in the United States. And that record number is likely to rise over the next few days as ballots continue to be counted across the country.

Biden had more than 80,011,000 votes on Tuesday night, while President Donald Trump had more than 73,800,000. The president’s votes make him the candidate who wins the second highest popular vote in American history.

Biden got 306 electoral votes, while Trump got 232. It takes 270 electoral votes to become president.

Record-breaking votes

Americans have voted by mail in record numbers this year to protect themselves from coronavirus exposure amid a global pandemic, and experts had warned for months that there would be a long vote count that could extend for days after Monday. elections.

Biden’s new record bolsters his decisive victory over Trump, who has yet to concede an election, even as his administration began the formal presidential transition process after the General Services Administration acknowledged the victory on Monday.

Several states have begun certifying their election results, including Pennsylvania and Nevada, which both completed their certification on Tuesday.

Certifications on Tuesday followed a dramatic meeting on Monday of the Michigan State Electoral Council, which also voted to certify Biden’s election results after one of two Republican council members decided to abstain.

CNN’s Kate Sullivan and Kelly Mena contributed to this report.