Biden fractures foot after fall, will likely be in walking boot 'for several weeks'

Following Michigan's board of canvassers certifying the 2020 election results, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson lauded the decision as a win for democracy.

"Today's vote of the State Board of Canvassers to certify Michigan's November election confirms the truth: the election was fair and secure, and the results accurately reflect the will of the voters," she said in a statement.

"Our democracy, like the election officials who administer it, is resilient." she added. "Today it and they survived an unprecedented attack on its integrity."

One of Michigan's top Republicans, House Speaker Lee Chatfield, who met with Trump on Friday, applauded the board for certifying the results, saying that the "democratic process can move forward."

"The Board fulfilled its legal duties today in certifying the results and now our democratic process can move forward. This is America at work," he said.

He also bashed Democrats and the media for pushing "conspiracy theories" about the possibility of the legislature intervening. 

 "I am also glad the conspiracy theories pushed by far too many Democrats and some talking heads in the media for attention and personal or political gain have finally been put to rest," he said. "As we have been saying consistently for weeks, the legislature will uphold the law and respect this result as it works to improve the process for next time."

-ABC News' Kendall Karson and Molly Nagle

Michigan’s board of state canvassers voted Monday to certify the results of the 2020 election, delivering a stinging blow to President Trump.

The canvassing board affirmed Biden’s victory in the key battleground state
with three "aye" votes.

Biden’s lead over Trump was more than 150,000 votes. 

The highly-anticipated vote caps off a dramatic string of events that included unprecedented reversals by one obscure county elections board
and an extraordinary White House meeting, in which Trump personally met with top Republican Michigan lawmakers just days before the board convened.

One Republican member of the state board, Norman Shinkle, a longtime Republican activist from Ingham County who prior to the meeting revealed he was leaning against certifying, voted to abstain.

The other GOP member of the board, Vice Chair Aaron Van Langevelde, joined the two Democratic members of the board. 

“I think any allegations of voter fraud should be taken seriously and investigated. I believe in this case, a post-election
audit should be conducted,” Van Langevelde said. “State law is clear that we do not have that authority and other entities do. This board must respect the authority entrusted to it, and follow the law as written. We must not attempt to exercise power we simply don't have.”

He added, “This board must do its part to uphold the rule of law and comply with our legal duty to certify this election. I will be supporting
the motion.”

-ABC News' Kendall Karson

Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris met virtually Monday afternoon with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, as their transition looks to continue its outreach to local officials who are dealing with the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

"You walk the streets of America, where people recognize you and look to you for confidence, look to you for a sense of security that everything's gonna be OK," Harris said. "You are the ones who take the heat on a daily basis. You are recognizable as the leaders of their government and the place where they live, the place where they worship, the place where their children go to school."

Biden then spoke briefly, joking with the mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he was born, about the town naming a street "Joe Biden Way."  He told the virtual group that he hopes to forge a partnership based on a "strong sense of common purpose" between cities and the federal government.

"As we head into this Thanksgiving, in a very dark point with cases and hospitalizations and deaths spiking, I want you to know that we're here for you and we will listen to you and work with you. And this is the first priority I'm going to have once I'm sworn in," Biden said.

The president-elect then went through his plans to slow the spread of COVID-19, including increased testing capacity, universal masking and discussed the slew of other challenges facing local officials.

He praised mayors for doing the practical -- and not partisan -- work of keeping their citizens safe and noted he has always worked to have a good relationship with local officials from his time as a city councilman, U.S. senator and vice president.

Biden also pledged his support to cities over the next few months noting that director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Julie Chavez Rodriguez will work with mayors as the point person. 

"Blue cities, red cities, It doesn't matter," Biden said. "They're all-American cities, American communities who deserve the full support of an American president, I promise you that."

"Every mayor deserves a president who is going to be a true partner. And the bottom line is we can't do this without you," he added.

-ABC News' John Verhovek, Molly Nagle and Beatrice Peterson

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued opinions Monday rejecting five lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign that were aimed at invalidating 8,329 ballots cast in the 2020 presidential contest over technical concerns.

Three justices wrote in the majority that, "no allegations of fraud or illegality" came up in examination of the ballots.

"While failures to include a handwritten name, address or date in the voter declaration on the back of the outer envelope, while constituting technical violations of the Election Code, do not warrant the wholesale disenfranchisement of thousands of Pennsylvania voters," Justice Christine L. Donohue wrote for the majority.

Two other justices joined Donohue, while other members of the court issued separate opinions. In one separate opinion, Justice David N. Wecht wrote that while he agrees technically deficient ballots should be counted this year, he does not believe the absence of a date on the declaration "should be overlooked as a 'minor irregularity.'"

Wecht wrote, "in future elections, I would treat the date and sign requirement as mandatory ... with the omission of either item sufficient without more to invalidate the ballot in question." Wecht concluded his concurring and dissenting opinion with the "hope that the General Assembly sees fit to refine and clarify the Election Code" in the future.

In a second concurring a dissenting opinion, Justice Dougherty, joined by Chief Justice Saylor and Justice Mundy, wrote that the justices agree the deficient ballots should be counted this year, and that ballots missing "fill out" information, such as printed name or address, should not be voided due to technical faults. However, Justice Dougherty noted that "the terms 'date' and 'sign' -- which were included by the legislature -- are self-evident," and that they "do not view the absence of a date as a mere technical insufficiency we may overlook." 

The court also ruled on a similar, separate challenge by a Republican candidate for state senate in Allegheny County contesting 2,349 ballots. The court denied that request as well.

All 10,678 ballots will count in the 2020 election.

-ABCNews' Matthew Mosk and Alex Hosenball