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Tuesday 15 december 2020

Battleground states vote as electors formally choose Biden

he won the election, and
trying to undermine Biden’s
presidency before it be-
gins.
“No, I worry about the
country having an illegiti-
mate president, that’s what
I worry about. A president
that lost and lost badly,”
Trump said in a Fox News
interview that was taped
Saturday.
Following weeks of Repub-
lican legal challenges that
were easily dismissed by
judges, Trump and Republi-
can allies tried to persuade
the Supreme Court last
week to set aside 62 elec-
toral votes for Biden in four
states, which might have
thrown the outcome into
doubt.
The justices rejected the ef-
fort on Friday.
In 32 states and the District
of Columbia, laws require
Elector Michele Nix signs Electoral College ballots for President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in the house chambers electors to vote for the
of the Old State Capitol building in Raleigh, N.C., on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. popular-vote winner. The
Associated Press Supreme Court unanimous-

Continued from Front rity of our elections remains en Whitmer. Biden won to Biden’s victory were to ly upheld this arrangement
intact. And so, now it is time the state by 154,000 votes, somehow still determine in July.
Nevada’s electors met via to turn the page. To unite. or 2.8 percentage points, that Trump had won. Electors almost always vote
Zoom because of the coro- To heal.” over Trump. In North Carolina, Utah for the state winner any-
navirus pandemic. Biden renewed his cam- Amber McCann, spokes- and other states across the way because they gener-
Monday was the day set paign promise to be a woman for Republican Sen- country where Trump won, ally are devoted to their
by law for the meeting of president for all Americans, ate Majority Leader Mike his electors turned out to political parties. There was
the Electoral College. Elec- whether they voted for him Shirkey, said the closures duly cast their ballots for no reason to expect any
tors were casting paper or not, and said the coun- were made on recommen- him. Electors in North Caro- defections this year.
ballots in gatherings that try has hard work ahead on dations from law enforce- lina had their temperatures The Electoral College was
were taking place in all 50 the virus and economy. ment “based on credible checked before being al- the product of compro-
states and the District of Former Maryland state Sen. threats of violence.” lowed to enter the Capitol mise during the drafting of
Columbia, with masks, so- Gloria Lawlah, in a state Georgia state police were to vote. the Constitution between
cial distancing and other Biden won easily, said the out in force at the state Former President Bill Clinton those who favored elect-
virus precautions were the votes for the Democratic Capitol in Atlanta be- and former Secretary of ing the president by pop-
order of the day. The results ticket were “a repudiation fore Democratic electors State Hillary Clinton, whom ular vote and those who
will be sent to Washington of hate, a repudiation of pledged to Biden met. Trump defeated four years opposed giving the peo-
and tallied in a Jan. 6 joint divisiveness. It’s an affirma- There were no protesters ago, were among New ple the power to directly
session of Congress over tion of benevolence, an af- to be seen less than a hour York’s 29 electors for Biden choose their leader.
which Vice President Mike firmation of unity.” ahead of the meeting. and Harris. Each state gets a number
Pence will preside. By mid- But not all Republicans Even with the Electoral Col- In New Hampshire, before of electors equal to its to-
day, votes had been cast were willing to say the elec- lege’s confirmation of Bi- the state’s four electors tal number of seats in Con-
for Biden in Pennsylvania, tion was over, even with den’s victory, some Repub- voted for Biden at the State gress: two senators plus
Michigan, Arizona Georgia the casting of electoral licans continued to refuse House in Concord, 13-year- however many members
and Nevada, the major votes. Trump has refused to to acknowledge that real- old Brayden Harrington led the state has in the House
battleground states in this concede and continues to ity. the group in the Pledge of of Representatives. Wash-
year’s election. make unsupported allega- Yet their opposition to Biden Allegiance. He had deliv- ington, D.C., has three
When all the votes are in, tions of fraud. had no practical effect on ered a moving speech at votes, under a constitution-
Biden is expected to have There have been concerns the electoral process, with the Democratic Nation- al amendment that was
306 electoral votes to 232 about safety for the elec- the Democrat to be sworn al Convention in August ratified in 1961. With the
for Trump. It takes 270 to tors, virtually unheard of in on Jan. 20. about the struggle with exception of Maine and
be elected. In the popular in previous years. In Michi- Despite Biden’s wins in stuttering he shares with Bi- Nebraska, states award
vote count, Biden topped gan, lawmakers from both Georgia, Michigan, Penn- den. all their Electoral College
Trump by more than 7 mil- parties reported receiving sylvania and Wisconsin, Vermont’s electors were votes to the winner of the
lion votes nationwide. threats. Republicans who would the first in the nation to vote popular vote in their state.
“In this battle for the soul Legislative offices there have been Trump electors Monday and they chose Bi- The bargain struck by the
of America, democracy were closed Monday over met anyway. Pennsylvania den and Harris. nation’s founders has pro-
prevailed,” Biden said in threats of violence. The Republicans said they cast Biden will address the na- duced five elections in
remarks prepared for an 16 electors were to meet a “procedural vote” for tion Monday night, after which the president did
evening speech. “We the in the Senate chamber in Trump and Pence in case the electors have voted. not win the popular vote.
people voted. Faith in our a ceremony headed by courts that have repeat- Trump, meanwhile, is cling- Trump was the most recent
institutions held. The integ- Democratic Gov. Gretch- edly rejected challenges ing to his false claims that example in 2016.q