US ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTING CONFIRMS BIDEN VICTORY

T he US Electoral College voted to confirm Democratic nominee Joe Biden as the next president on Monday, as President Donald Trump continues to contest the election result. Voting took place across the US, with electors generally meeting in state capitols.

Biden was confirmed to be the winner after California’s electors voted to give him the state’s 55 Electoral College votes, pushing him over the 270 needed to win the presidency. Biden is set to garner 306 votes while Trump will get 232. States have all certified their results from the November 3 election. The Electoral College system distributes 538 votes to states based on population size. The winner of the presidential election is the candidate to get more than 270 electoral votes.

While most states have laws binding electors to the popular vote outcome in their territories, some do not, potentially creating some room for drama if certain officials decide to go rogue. In modern history, this has not turned into an impactful issue. In the morning, votes on the east coast and in the south there were no unexpected events. Even in Georgia, the scene of a hotly contested election battle, all 16 votes went to Biden. WASHINGTON (DPA) 15 DECEMBER, 2020