国际英语新闻:Long wait for U.S. election result as Trump, Biden locked in tight race

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Uncounted ballots in several "battleground states" have left open the question of who will be America's next president by Wednesday morning.

As of 7:30 a.m. ET (1230 GMT), sitting President and Republican nominee Donald Trump was projected by U.S. media to take in 213 electoral votes, slightly behind his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, who was projected to obtain 227 votes. Both fell short of the 270 threshold.

After polls closed across the country, counting still continues. Early on Wednesday morning, election results in several states were still too early to call, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, all critical battlegrounds that could be decisive for the Trump-Biden race.

However, the two candidates have expressed confidence in victory in their Election Night speeches.

"We did win this election," Trump said from the East Room at the White House. He said his reelection campaign has produced "phenomenal" results and is "winning everything."

However, Biden told his supporters that "it's not my place or Donald Trump's place to declare who's won this election."

In his hometown Wilmington, Delaware, Biden said "we believe we're on track to win this election" but it would be "up to the American people" to decide.

A record number of U.S. voters voted early by mail this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But some states require more time to process the mail-in ballots after polls closed.

The delay in result announcement raised concerns for violence between the two camps and legal challenges if contests are close.

"We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!" Trump tweeted, who also threatened to go to the Supreme Court to stop vote count.

Besides the presidency, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will also be decided in this year's election. More than a dozen state and territorial governorships, among many other state and local posts, are up for grabs.