The Electoral College officially elected Donald Trump as the next President of the United States on Tuesday. The process took place across all 50 states, with Trump defeating Vice President Kamala Harris by 312 votes to 226.
Unlike the contentious proceedings of four years ago, when alternative electors for Trump gathered in seven states where Joe Biden was certified as the winner, this year’s assembly was conducted without incident.
Federal law required states to certify their election results by December 11, determining which candidate’s electors would cast votes on the specified date: the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December.
Once the votes are cast, electors send their certificates to Washington for the final step in the election process: a joint session of Congress scheduled for January 6.
Extensive security measures had been planned for both the Electoral College convening and the upcoming congressional session. These preparations were a response to protests following Biden’s victory in key battleground states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—four years ago. However, several states reported this week that heightened security proved unnecessary due to the uncontested nature of Trump’s win.
Although Trump won decisively in the Electoral College and led Harris in the popular vote by over 2 million votes, his total vote share, including third-party candidates, fell slightly short of a majority at 49.9%, according to the Associated Press.
The Electoral College remains a distinctive feature of U.S. democracy, electing presidents through state-based electors rather than direct popular vote. In most states, the candidate winning the statewide vote secures all its electors, though Maine and Nebraska allocate some electoral votes by congressional district.
