The Electoral College has formally validated Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
Biden cleared the 270 electoral vote threshold on Monday after California’s electors cast their votes for the Democrat. When all of the states finish voting, Biden is expected to lead President Donald Trump 306-232.
Recommended Videos
Biden is scheduled to speak to the nation on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
The Electoral College vote is normally a procedural step in the presidential election, but its importance is heightened this year because Trump is refusing to concede his loss. He and his allies have filed roughly 50 lawsuits, and most have been dropped or dismissed by judges, including twice by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Electoral College results will be sent to Washington and tallied in a Jan. 6 joint session of Congress over which Vice President Mike Pence will preside.
Sen. Tim Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016, had this to say about the news:
Donald Trump—you now join me in the ranks of “electoral college dropouts”... Of course, you have been President and I haven’t. But, then again, I’ve never lost the popular vote and you’ve never won it. https://t.co/liOqYjPMkv
— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) December 14, 2020