Electoral College Re-Affirms Biden’s Victory Over Trump

Following the certification of votes reaches in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, electors from the Electoral College gathered in their respective states on Monday to officially cast ballots for president and vice president.

Across the U.S., 538 electors sent paper ballots to Washington. Around 5:30 p.m., California pushed Joe Biden over the 270 votes needed to secure the presidency.

The elector’s paper ballots will be tabulated, signed, sealed and sent by registered mail to Vice President Mike Pence. The Electoral votes must arrive in Washington by Dec. 23.

U.S. Congress will count them on Jan. 6, making a step closer to President-elect Biden‘s victory.

After Congress counts Monday’s votes, Biden will be inaugurated 46th president of the U.S. on Jan. 20 at noon.

Biden only needed to secure 270 votes to win, but he won a total at 306 votes, as he was certified the winner in 25 states and the District of Columbia. All states had certified their votes by Dec. 8 as part of the “safe-harbor” deadline.

President Donald Trump trailed far behind Biden 97 Electoral votes.

While many states have laws requiring electors to support the winner of their state’s election, the country has several times seen the loser of the popular vote win, like when 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hilary Clinton won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College, making Trump president.

Each state has the same number of electors as senators and representatives in U.S. Congress. California by far has the largest number of electors – 55 – followed by Texas with 38, while the smallest states like Vermont and Wyoming, have three.