As votes are counted, America and the world wait

The day finally came and went, but the result hasn’t yet.

People in the United States and around the world are waiting anxiously — and sometimes in confusion — for a winner to be declared in the American presidential election. 

In text message chains, Twitter feeds and coffee shop lines, everyone seemed to be gaming out the various possible paths to victory for President Donald Trump and his challenger Joe Biden. 

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An election worker handles ballots as vote counting in the general election continues at State Farm Arena on Nov. 4, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The day after Election Day dawned, and it was still unclear when a winner might be determined. The margins were exceedingly tight, with the candidates trading wins in battleground states across the country.

It wasn’t necessarily a surprise. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, many states made it easier to vote by mail, and millions chose to do. That meant a slowdown in compiling the results because votes received by mail often take longer to process than ballots cast at polling places. 

But that didn’t make the wait any easier.

A demonstrator holds up a sign while waiting for election results at Black Lives Matter Plaza, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

An election official, right, talks with a challenger, center, from entering the central counting board, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Bartender Sam Schilke watches election results on television at a bar and grill Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Paula Bronstein)

Chester County election workers scan mail-in and absentee ballots for the 2020 general election in the United States at West Chester University, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, in West Chester, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

A Donald Trump costume head lays on the sidewalk at Black Lives Matter Plaza , Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Dorothy Hawkins, from left, Nia Winston and Zinnia Patcas, supporters of Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, look on their phones as news breaks that Wisconsin is called for Biden during a rally calling for very cote to be counted near the Detroit Department of Elections building in Detroit, Mich., Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Lenore Kurek, center, watches with fellow supporters of President Donald Trump as election results are broadcasted on a television at a watch party in Shelby Township, Mich., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Election staff members pack ballots after polls closed at the Moose Lodge on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

A supporter of President Donald Trump rests on a table while waiting for election results at an election night party, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Milo Shea watches local election results at McPherson Square, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

A performer who goes by the name Afrika America watches election results before performing at a socially distant dining experience and election night watch party organized by Manny's, a San Francisco community meeting and learning place, in San Francisco, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

A Republican election challenger at right watches over election inspectors as they examine a ballot as votes are counted into the early morning hours Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, at the central counting board in Detroit. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

MAGA hats sit on empty seats during an election watch party, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Chandler, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Joel Veale watches returns on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A pile of French newspaper Le Monde headlines "Trump-Biden : the United States is tearing itself apart, Editorial : a democracy in danger" about the U.S. presidential elections, at a newspapers stand in Paris, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

An election workers smiles while holding a ballot as vote counting in the general election continues at State Farm Arena on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Supporters of President Donald Trump wait for election results Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Stanton, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Demonstrators react outside the White House while waiting on election results, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

A live broadcast of President Donald Trump speaking from the White House is shown on screens at an election night party, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A protester yells after a march to the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on the night of the election, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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Text from AP News story, AP PHOTOS: As votes are counted, America and the world wait

  

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