Combo photo shows U.S. Democrat Joe Biden (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump attending their respective events on different occasions. (Xinhua)

A federal law sets what is called the "Safe Harbor" deadline, falling on Dec. 8 this year, the day by which states must submit the winner of the presidential election if they are to be insulated from legal disputes.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13  -- Democrat Joe Biden has won southern U.S. state Georgia and its 16 Electoral College votes, widening his lead in the Electoral College by a margin of 306 to 232, multiple U.S. media outlets projected on Friday.

Sitting President Donald Trump was projected on Friday to have picked 15 electoral votes from southern state North Carolina, which he won four years ago.

Georgia and North Carolina are the final states to be called on Friday, 10 days after the Election Day.

As of Friday afternoon, Biden led Trump by more than 14,000 votes with 99 percent of precincts reporting in Georgia, which hadn't voted for a Democratic White House hopeful in almost 30 years.

A full hand recount of nearly 5 million cast in the state has already been ordered, with the audit expected to be done by Nov. 20 when the state must certify its election results.

"With the margin being so close, it will require a full, by-hand recount in each county," Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, announced on Wednesday.

"This will help build confidence. It will be an audit, a recount and a recanvass all at once," Raffensperger said.

The former vice president's margin in Georgia currently stands at just 0.3 percentage point. Trump's margin in North Carolina is more than 73,000 votes, or 1.3 percentage points, according to a New York Times report.