No matter what the current president claims,erotice we won't know how the electoral college shakes out until sometime Wednesday at the absolute earliest.
But while you await the fate of the republic, here's some good, more local news to soak in from across the U.S. on Election Day.
Huge firsts for LGBTQ candidates
The Rainbow Wave is real. A record number of LGBTQ candidates were running for office at the local, state, and federal levels this year, with political action committee Victory Fund recording a, well, record-breaking 1000-plus candidates from the community. And at least seven states have significant firsts thanks to wins by LGBTQ candidates:
Sarah McBride from Delaware was elected to be the first openly transgender state senator in the country.
Mauree Turner is one of the first out non-binary state lawmakers in the U.S., after winning a seat in the Oklahoma state legislature (and will also be the first Muslim in the OK state House).
New Yorkers Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones both won their federal congressional races, and thus will be the first Black gay men in the House.
Taylor Small won a seat in the Vermont state legislature, making her the first out trans lawmaker in the state and the fifth nationwide.
Florida elected Michele Rayner as its first Black queer woman to serve in the Florida state House, and its first out LGBTQ state senator in Shevrin Jones.
Georgia hit the same milestone, electing its first out LGBTQ state senator, Episcopal priest Kim Jackson, and state representative, Torrey Harris.
New Mexico elected its first two LGBTQ state representatives, Roger Montoya and Brittney Barreras.
Jabari Brisport won his race and will be New York's first LGBTQ state senator of color.
Kansas elected Stephanie Byers, who will make history twice by becoming the state's first transgender elected official, and as a member of the Chickasaw Nation, the first Indigenous transgender person elected to a state legislature.
Christy Holstege won reelection to Palm Springs City Council and will become America's first out bisexual mayor, as well as Palm Springs' first female mayor. Holstege was first elected to council in 2017 and will now rotate into the mayoral spot.
More Native Americans than ever win seats in Congress
Six Native American candidates won their House races, including two new faces, and only the second Native Hawaiian Representative since Hawaii became a state.
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Drugs for some! Medicinal drugs for others!
You can read more about drug-related votes around the country in our comprehensive roundup, but here are the basics:
Oregon voted yes on Measure 110, which proposed to decriminalize possession of all drugs, shifting drug use from a legal to a public health issue in the state. Oregon also voted to legalize medicinal psilocybin.
Arizona voted to legalize possession of up to an ounce of recreational marijuana for adults 21 and over, with tax revenue going to community colleges and "public safety."
Montana, South Dakota, and New Jersey also voted to legalize weed for people 21 and over. South Dakota also voted to legalize medical marijuana — the first state to legalize both in the same election.
Mississippi voted to legalize medical marijuana, with voters opting for broader medical legalization over a confusing, more restrictive option.
D.C. voted to decriminalize plant psychedelics, including psilocybin and ayahuasca — there won't be dispensaries any time soon, but it's a step forward.
Related Video: Curious about the difference between CBD and THC?
Mississippi gets a new flag
While the Mississippi state houses voted to 86 the Confederate-themed state flag back in July, the Magnolia State officially voted to confirm its new flag on Tuesday. Look how pretty!
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Portland, Maine strikes blow against facial recognition
The non-Oregon Portland voted to strengthen citizens' privacy protection. From our story:
In a robust show of doubling down on privacy protections, voters in the Maine city passed a measure Tuesday replacing and strengthening an existing banon city official's use of facial recognition technology. While city employees were already prohibited from using the controversial tech, this new ban also gives residents the right to sue the city for violations and specifies monetary fines the city would have to pay out.
Massachusetts gets the right to repair
Massachusetts passed a Right to Repair law that iFixit calls the most advanced in the world: Starting in 2022, car manufacturers will have to share repair data with consumers and repair shops, not just dealers.
The law will cut car owners and local mechanics back in on the repair process, rather than restricting repairs to dealerships and dealership partner shops.
Florida votes for a higher minimum wage
The Sunshine State appears to have voted to (gradually) almost double the minimum wage, which is currently just $8.56 but will go up to $10 next year, with $1 increases annually until it's at $15 in 2026. It's a huge win for service and other minimum wage workers in Florida, and the slow increase means there won't be immediate pressure on the businesses employing those workers.
Rhode Island becomes the state formerly known as
Rhode Island voted by a narrow margin to change its official state name from Rhode Island and Providence Plantations to just Rhode Island. While some argued that "Plantations" wasn't specifically a reference to the properties where slaves worked, the word's mere evocation of slavery was troublesome enough to get a constitutional amendment passed.
Colorado passes paid family leave
Colorado passed a proposition that gives 12 weeks of paid family leave, whether it's for caring for a new baby or sick loved ones, or recovering from illness or injury yourself, including domestic violence and sexual assault survivors. There's also an extra four weeks for people who've given birth or have complications from childbirth. Payments will be up to 90 percent of the worker's usual pay, or $1100 per week, whichever is lower. The scheme will fully kick in in 2024.
It's the first time a state has brought in paid family leave via a ballot measure rather than legislation, and this might be a model for other states struggling to get it done.
California re-enfranchises over 50,000 people
Paroled felons' right to vote was restored by the passage of Proposition 17 in California, which passed with over 60 percent Yes votes and counting. This will give a political voice back to an estimated 50,000 people in the state, who under the existing rule could not vote until their parole ended.
Los Angeles County gets an all-women board
A powerful governing body in Los Angeles — once nicknamed "the five little kings," according to the Los Angeles Times— will now be led for the first time by an all-women board. State Sen. Holly Mitchell won a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this week solidifying the history-making shift. The five-member board has a lot of influence with its $35 billion budget.
Alabama votes to remove racist language from its constitution
Segregation has been illegal in Alabama since the '50s, but racist sections of the state's constitution remain in place. As of Tuesday, 67 percent of voters elected to remove this language, which allows segregated schools, poll taxes, and a ban on interracial marriage across the state.
New Mexico gets all-women of color House delegation
New Mexico became the first state to elect all women of color to its House delegation, with Deb Haaland (one of the two first Native American women elected to Congress in 2018), Teresa Leger Fernandez, and Yvette Herrell of the Cherokee Nation all winning their district seats.
Denver overturns ban on pit bulls
Denver residents voted to overturn a 1989 ordinance banning pit bull ownership, in a win for Denver advocates against breed specific legislation. Approved by 65 percent of voters, the repeal will go into effect in January and allows pet owners to keep pit bulls with temporary special restrictions.
UPDATED Nov. 4, 2020, 6:15 a.m. ET
UPDATE: Nov. 5, 2020, 1:54 p.m. AEDT
UPDATE: Nov. 5, 2020, 10:40 a.m. PST
UPDATE: Nov. 6, 2020, 10:50 a.m. GMT
UPDATE: Nov. 6, 2020, 4 p.m. EST
Topics Social Good Politics