Images from a historic, nail-biting election in a pandemic

Katia Faroun | features editor Supporters of President Trump gathered across the street of Heinz Field on North Shore Drive and engaged in a verbal altercation with Biden supporters.

Katia Faroun | features editor

Katia Faroun | Features editor As the last stop of his presidential campaign, Democratic nominee Joe Biden stopped at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh’s North Shore on Tuesday night. He addressed key topics, such as his intent to not fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, healing the country, taxes, his proposed pandemic reponse and encouraged Pennsylvanians to vote. Lady Gaga also joined him on stage for an impassioned speech.

Throughout the year, this country has been ravaged by fires, battered by hurricanes and plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the midst of these natural disasters, Americans have also been faced with one of the most contentious elections in the nation’s history.

As ballots continue to be counted and the race continues to tighten, Election Day 2020 has quickly turned into Election Week. Voter turnout records have been broken, and as always, Pennsylvania remains a key state in deciding the winner of the presidency. The pandemic has added to this election’s unique circumstances, as voters entered polls masked up, distanced themselves in line and eagerly awaited notification that their mail-in ballots have been counted.

At the time of publication, the results of the 2020 Presidential election are still unknown. Key states such as Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Arizona and Pennsylvania are awaiting the final results of votes, as mail-in and absentee ballots slow down the counting process. President Trump has filed three lawsuits against Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia, and has called for a recount in Wisconsin. Both Trump and Biden continue to express confidence in an eventual victory, and Trump had already falsely declared victory early Wednesday morning.

The contentious election was expected by many, as the months leading up to Nov. 3 have seen a number of protests against police brutality, growing political division over the pandemic and the greatest economic recession since the Great Depression. U.S. citizens have responded, and millions are using their voices to vote for the country’s next president.

The following images document the events that comprise this year’s historic election, from Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s final drive-in rally at Heinz Field Monday night to images of Election Day in Downtown Pittsburgh.

Katia Faroun | features editor As the night came to a close, Biden supporters exited the stadium and showed their support on North Shore Drive.
Katia Faroun | features editor
Supporters of President Trump gathered across the street of Heinz Field on
North Shore Drive and engaged in a verbal altercation with Biden supporters.
Though Biden’s rally was advertised as a drive-in event, crowds of supporters gathered outside of Heinz Field to listen to the Democratic nominee give his final speeches of the campaign. The event lasted until around 9:30 p.m.
People gathered across the street of Heinz Field, holding Trump and American flags. A pickup truck decorated with Trump flags made laps around the stadium, frequently honking and drawing boos from Biden supporters. Multiple crowds of college-age voters engaged with the Trump supporters, shouting concerns about Trump’s handling of the pandemic, stance on the Black Lives Matter movement and the previous conflict in Iran.
Voters that came to the polls on Tuesday left with “I Voted” stickers in hand. A steady flow of in-person voters entered and exited the building throughout the day. Allegheny County received almost 350,000 mail-in and absentee votes.
Pennsylvania has seen record-breaking voter turnout, with almost 9 million Pennsylvanians registered to vote and about 3 million approved to vote by mail.
On Tuesday afternoon, voters pulled up outside of the City County building to drop off their ballots and vote in person. Traffic directors have been stationed outside the building for the past few weeks to assist with ballot drop offs.
In-person voters entered into the City County building to drop off their ballots at a ballot return station on the first floor of the building.