Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
President-elect Biden officially received the majority of Electoral College votes on Monday, further solidifying his victory even though the outcome of the election has been known for weeks.
Why it matters: The Electoral College result affirms Biden as the next president after weeks of President Trump's false accusations that the election was stolen from him, dozens of failed legal challenges from the Trump campaign, and protests threatening the safety of states' electors.
- Biden officially reached the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency just before 5:30 p.m. ET Monday, when California's 55 electors cast their ballots.
- After the process concluded, Biden had 306 votes to Trump's 232.
- The votes will still need to be certified by a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 overseen by Vice President Mike Pence, where he will announce the winner.
- Trump said in November he would leave office if the Electoral College voted for Biden, but that it would have "made a mistake" because "this election was a fraud."
What he's saying: "In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed," Biden said in a televised remarks Monday evening.
- "The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know that nothing — not even a pandemic —or an abuse of power — can extinguish that flame," he added.
- "As I said through this campaign, I will be a president for all Americans. I will work just as hard for those of you who didn’t vote for me, as I will for those who did."
The big picture: Trump's legal team and allies have repeatedly attempted to change the Electoral College's outcome. The Supreme Court last week rejected a long-shot lawsuit backed by Trump and over 120 House Republicans seeking to challenge the outcomes in key swing states, including Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
- Georgia's 16 electoral votes Monday went for Biden, with a roll call overseen by Stacey Abrams.
- Michigan's 16 remained with Biden after the state's House GOP speaker said "we'd lose our country forever" if they swapped out electors.
- Arizona's 11 for Biden were cast at an undisclosed location due to escalating threats to the safety of the electors.
- Wisconsin's 10 were cast for Biden after the state Supreme Court ruled against the Trump effort last night for the third time this month.
- Nevada's 6 went for Biden, with votes cast over Zoom.
The last shot Trump has at trying to sway the election results would be for members of both chambers of Congress to challenge the certification of the Electoral College votes.
- Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) is plotting to contest the results from the House and has a small group of allies. But the effort still has no public support in the Senate.
Editor's note: This story was updated after all states finished voting.