The necessary number of Electoral College votes for Trump to secure the presidency has been achieved, paving the way for the formal certification of his victory before Congress next month.
Each state’s electors convened on Tuesday to cast their votes for president and vice president prior to the official certification of the results. To ensure his swearing-in to the Oval Office, Trump needed a total of 270 electoral votes, which he successfully obtained on Tuesday afternoon, as reported by CNN and The Washington Post.
Trump’s electors restore a quieter process after 2020’s contentious election disputes
In the unique framework of the Electoral College, voters are actually casting their ballots for a slate of electors pledged to their preferred presidential candidate. Typically, the candidate who wins a state will have their electors cast their votes, although Nebraska and Maine operate differently by allocating their votes proportionally.
Electors convene in December, specifically on the first Tuesday following the second Wednesday of the month, to officially cast their votes, which are recorded in a Certificate of Vote. These certificates must be delivered to various locations, including Congress, by December 25.
On January 6, lawmakers will officially count and certify the Electoral College votes, marking the conclusion of the 2024 election result finalization process. The events surrounding the 2020 election and Republican efforts to challenge President Biden’s victory brought unexpected attention to the election certification process.
In states such as Michigan and Nevada, numerous false electors attempted to overturn Biden’s victory in favor of Trump, but these efforts were unsuccessful. Interestingly, some of these individuals returned as legitimate electors to cast votes for Trump in this election cycle.
However, with Trump’s victory this year, the Electoral College process has reverted to a largely unobtrusive procedure, attracting minimal scrutiny or public attention.
