For Immediate Release:
Contact For More Information:
Andrea M. Gaines
(804) 263-5752
Andrea.Gaines@elections.virginia.gov
Electoral College convenes in Virginia; 13 electors cast ballots for president, vice president
RICHMOND, VA – Virginia’s 13 electors met today in the House Chamber of the State Capitol to vote for president and vice president of the United States of America. Similar meetings were held in state capitals throughout the nation today.
The number of electors allotted to each state is based on the number of U.S. representatives and senators from that state. In Virginia, there is an elector from each of the Commonwealth's 11 Congressional districts, in addition to two at-large electors.
Virginia Gov. Ralph S. Northam gave the welcoming remarks before the roll call of the electors. After the electors were sworn in by Cleo E. Powell, Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court, they voted for the offices of President and Vice President separately, as mandated by the U.S. Constitution. All 13 electors voted for former Vice President Joseph R. Biden for president and Sen. Kamala Harris for vice president.
The certified votes, signed by each elector and accompanied by a Certificate of Ascertainment executed by the Governor, were sealed in envelopes and sent to Michael R. Pence, President of the United States Senate, as well as Kelly Thomasson, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia; Mark S. Davis, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States.
On January 6, 2021, Vice President Pence, as President of the Senate, will preside over a joint session of Congress where each state's Electoral College results will be unsealed and the votes tallied. Once Congress certifies the results, the vice-president-elect and president-elect will be sworn in on January 20, 2021.
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