WASHINGTON: The Electoral College gave Joe Biden the majority of his votes on Monday, confirming his victory in last month’s election in the state-by-state vote that rose to prominence this year due to President Donald Trump’s refusal to admit that lost.
California’s 55 electoral votes put Biden at the top, surpassing the 270-vote mark that claimed he will be the nation’s next president.
In some states, greater security was established as voters gathered that day according to federal law. Voters cast paper votes in meetings that took place in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with masks, social distancing and other virus precautions the order of the day. The results will be sent to Washington and accounted for in a joint session of Congress on January 6 presided over by Vice President Mike Pence.
There was little suspense and no surprises, as all of the electoral votes assigned to Biden and Trump in last month’s popular vote went to each.
In Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – all six battlefield states that Biden won and Trump challenged – voters gave Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris their votes Monday in low-key procedures. Nevada voters rallied via Zoom due to the coronavirus pandemic.
When all the votes are in, Biden was expected to have 306 electoral votes to 232 for Trump. Hawaii it was the only state that had yet to vote. Biden beat Trump by more than 7 million votes across the country.
“In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed,” Biden said in remarks prepared for an evening address. “We the people vote. Faith in our institutions is maintained. The integrity of our choices remains intact. And so, now is the time to turn the page. Link. To heal. “Biden renewed his campaign promise to be a president for all Americans, whether they vote for him or not, and said the country has a lot of work ahead of it on the virus and the economy.
Former Maryland state senator Gloria Lawlah, in a state where Biden won easily, said the votes for the Democratic nomination were “a repudiation of hatred, a repudiation of division.” But not everyone was willing to say that the elections were over, even with the casting of electoral votes. Trump has refused to budge and continues to make baseless fraud accusations.
There have been concerns about voter safety, virtually unheard of in previous years. In Michigan, lawmakers from both parties reported receiving threats and legislative offices were closed due to threats of violence. Biden won the state by 154,000 votes, or 2.8 percentage points, over Trump.
Georgia State Police were present at the State Capitol in Atlanta before Democratic voters pledged Biden. No protesters were seen.
Even with the confirmation of Biden’s victory by the Electoral College, some Republicans continued to refuse to acknowledge that reality. However, his opposition to Biden had no practical effect on the electoral process, and the Democrat will be sworn in on January 20.
Despite Biden’s victories in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Republicans who would have been Trump voters rallied anyway. Pennsylvania Republicans said they cast a “procedural vote” for Trump and Pence in case the courts that have repeatedly rejected challenges to Biden’s victory somehow continue to find that Trump had won.
In North Carolina, Utah, and other states across the country where Trump won, his constituents duly voted for him. Voters in North Carolina their temperatures were checked before they were allowed into the Capitol to vote. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes retired as Trump’s constituent and was in quarantine because he was exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whom Trump defeated four years ago, were among New York’s 29 voters for Biden and Harris.
In New HampshireBefore all four state electors voted for Biden at the Concord State House, 13-year-old Brayden Harrington led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. He had delivered a poignant speech at the Democratic National Convention in August on fighting stuttering that he shares with Biden.
Vermont voters were the first in the nation to vote Monday, electing Biden and Harris.
Biden will address the nation on Monday night, after the voters have voted. Trump, meanwhile, is holding on to his false claims that he won the election and trying to undermine Biden’s presidency before it begins.
“No, I am concerned that the country has an illegitimate president, that is what worries me. A president who lost and lost a lot, ”Trump said in a Fox News interview that was recorded on Saturday.
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