Electoral College to vote, formalize Biden's victory, in state capitals nationwide
The Electoral College will vote Monday, formalizing President-elect Joe Biden's win in the Nov. 3 election. The electors will meet in their respective state capitals and Washington, D.C., to cast paper ballots. (Nevada electors are meeting virtually this year.) Biden will likely receive his full 306 electoral votes and President Trump will get 232. The process is typically a largely ceremonial formality, but it is getting increased attention this year because Trump has not conceded, claiming falsely that massive fraud cost him the election. Biden plans to address the nation Monday night on "the Electoral College vote certification and the strength and resilience of our democracy."
After the electors vote, their ballots will be delivered to the president of the Senate by Dec. 23, though there is no penalty if a state misses that deadline. Congress will meet in a special joint session on Jan. 6 to count the electoral votes. Vice President Mike Pence will preside over the count, making him the eighth U.S. vice president charged with announcing that the ticket he ran on lost the election. The last vice president put in that awkward position was Al Gore in 2001.
Biden defeated Trump by more than 7 million votes and 4.5 percentage points, but under the Electoral College system, the winner of the popular vote does not always win the presidency. Gore narrowly won the popular vote and lost the Electoral College, while Trump lost the popular vote by nearly 3 million ballots in 2016 but still won the election.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Political cartoons for January 17Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include hard hats, compliance, and more
-
Ultimate pasta alla NormaThe Week Recommends White miso and eggplant enrich the flavour of this classic pasta dish
-
Death in Minneapolis: a shooting dividing the USIn the Spotlight Federal response to Renee Good’s shooting suggest priority is ‘vilifying Trump’s perceived enemies rather than informing the public’
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
