The US is in turmoil over its presidential election, with the result still too close to call.
In a surreal speech in the early hours of Wednesday morning, Donald Trump falsely declared that he had won the election – sparking serious fears about the trajectory of the count, as the world holds it breath.
Democrats were hoping for a decisive result that would clearly signal discontent with the president’s leadership. That has not happened.
But while the polls remain unclear, progressive candidates and causes have had a successful night – with diverse new leaders elected to office and issues such as drug policy facing major reforms in some states.
Here are eight rays of hope we’ve seen so far in the 2020 US elections:
1. First openly-trans person elected as a senator in US history
Sarah McBride, a 30-year-old Democrat from Delaware, made history on election night when she became the highest-ranking openly trans official in the US.
Speaking after her win, she said: “I’m humbled by the support of neighbours and ready to work every day to make a difference in the lives of all the residents of the First Senate District.
“I hope tonight shows an LGBTQ kid that our democracy is big enough for them, too. As Delaware continues to face the Covid crisis, it’s time to get to work to invest in the policies that will make a difference for working families.”
McBride, who focused her campaign on healthcare and paid medical and family leave, was met with an outpouring of support in the wake of her election.
2. First Black LGBT and Afro-Latino congressmen elected
Two New York Democrats – Mondaire Jones and Ritchie Torres – also made history on Tuesday night when they became the first openly LGBTQ Black and Afro-Latino politicians to be elected to US congress.
Pink News reported a statement from Torres, issued as the vote was called, in which he said: “Tonight, a new era begins for the South Bronx.
“It is the honour of a lifetime to represent a borough filled with essential workers who risked their lives so that New York City could live.
“My pledge to the district is simple: I will fight for you. The Bronx is my home, it is what made me who I am, and it is what I will fight for in Congress.”
Torres had faced a particularly complicated path to victory, defeating an anti-LGBT preacher during the Democratic primary and face homophobic attacks from a police union official, Pink News reported.
He added: “I thank the voters of the South Bronx from the bottom of my heart for the trust they put in me to represent them.”
Pink News also reported that Jabari Brisport became the first openly LGBTQ person of colour to be elected to the New York state senate, joining Shevrin Jones in Florida as one of only two openly queer Black men serving in state senates.
3. Oregon decriminalises possession of all drugs
Oregon residents voted on Tuesday night to decriminalise possession of all drugs – the first US state to do so.
With the passage of Measure 110, Oregonians can no longer be criminally charged for possessing small amounts of illegal drugs, including heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine.
The punishment for possession offences will now be a single $100 (£77.30) fine, with the initiative also redirecting some taxes raised through sales of legal marijuana to finance a new voluntary treatment system for drug users.
The historic vote has been seen by many as a key step in the fight to end 50-year war on drugs, launched by Richard Nixon.
His policy disproportionately impacted Black, Latino and economically disadvantaged communities – sweeping generations of young men into the criminal justice system.
4. State elects first Muslim politician
Mauree Turner, a 27-year-old Black, queer newcomer made history on Tuesday night when she was elected as Oklahoma’s first Muslim lawmaker.
Turner, a community organiser, ran on a progressive platform which centres around criminal justice reform, a higher minimum wage, and access to affordable health care.
She told HuffPost US in October that she was running because Oklahomans with her “shared lived experience” — someone who was raised in “a single parent household because one parent was incarcerated” and ”had to live off SNAP benefits” — have not been represented.
“That was my upbringing, and it’s not a unique one,” she added.
5. Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, Arizona and South Dakota legalise marijuana
Five states across the US have become the latest to legalise marijuana.
The majority of voters in New Jersey, Montana and Arizona voted yes on ballot measures which made recreational marijuana legal, while in South Dakota voters elected to legalise medical marijuana.
In Mississippi, voters voted to approve an initiative which will also establish a new medical marijuana programme.
6. Parolees given right to vote in California
California has voted to allow parolees the right to vote in elections, restoring voting rights to restores some 50,000 people within the criminal justice system.
Backed by vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Proposition 17 was put on the election ballot by the Californian lawmakers as the Black Lives Matter movement reignited conversations about the impact of the criminal justice system on people of colour.
The Los Angeles Times reported that three quarters of men leaving the state’s prisons are Black, Latino or Asian American, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation – evidence, the Proposition 17 campaign says, is a result systematic racial inequalities in the system.
7. All four members of ‘The Squad’ re-elected
All four members of ‘The Squad’ – a group of Democrat congresswomen – were re-elected on Tuesday night in a win for the party’s progressive movement.
Representatives Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts all took office in January 2019.
All four congresswomen have faced significant opposition from Republicans, with Donald Trump specifically attacking their policies – such as Ocasio-Cortez’s promotion of the Green New Deal – throughout their time as representatives.
8. Voters reject police facial recognition technology
Voters in Portland – a city which has seen widespread protests since the police killing of George Floyd in May – voted on Tuesday to strengthen rules against police and city officials using facial recognition technology.
The Bangor Daily News reported on Wednesday that a preliminary ban in August had been extended for five more years as a result of the vote.
The new measure has also introduced new penalties, entitling citizens to a minimum of $1,000 (£770) in civil fees if they are surveilled in violation of the new rules.