Pennsylvania’s 20 Electoral College members cast their votes Monday for president-elect Joe Biden.
Similar votes are happening around the country. Despite President Donald Trump’s many attempts to overturn the election results through the courts, the final electoral college vote will make official a result that has been clear since November: Biden won the electoral college, as well as the popular vote.
“I hope you can see me smiling behind this mask,” said Democratic Party Chair Nancy Mills, after the vote was officially tallied. She noted she was the first woman to preside over an electoral college vote in Pa.
This year’s meeting of the Electoral College looked a little different from usual.
The electors congregated in an auditorium in Harrisburg, not far from the state Capitol.
They typically meet on the state House floor, but the Capitol is restricting public access due to the pandemic. Several lawmakers who attended in-person sessions at the Capitol in recent weeks tested positive for coronavirus.
After the Pennsylvania Department of State certified Biden’s victory in the state, the president-elect selected Pennsylvania’s electoral college representatives. They include elected officials from all levels of government, such as Attorney General Josh Shapiro and House Democratic Whip Jordan Harris, along with labor leaders and local Democratic organizers.
It is possible for electors to cast protest ballots against a winning presidential candidate, but it’s extremely rare. Four years ago, protesters descended on the Capitol and urged electors for President Trump to vote against him, but all 20 of the votes went to him and Vice President Mike Pence.
As expected, all voted this year for Biden.
