President Trump and his allies are claiming, in court, on Twitter, and in public — even from the White House — that Democrats are "stealing" the election as urban and mail-in votes get counted in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Michigan, slowly building an Electoral College tally that points to a Joe Biden win. Trump and his team have not provided evidence for these claims, and they don't even really make sense.
This "blue shift" after a "red mirage" was widely predicted months ago, when it became clear Democrats were more likely to mail in their ballots during the COVID-19 pandemic while Trump urged his supporters to vote in person. There was no mirage-and-shift in states like Florida because election officials are allowed to process mail-in votes before Election Day, but in the Upper Midwest, GOP-controlled state legislatures refused to let the count start until Nov. 3.
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