Exceeding the required 270 votes to assume the presidency, on Dec. 19 Trump received 304 electoral votes and took the next step in the process to be declared President of the United States. While Clinton received 277, she won the popular vote by more than two percentage points.
The official Electoral College results will be authorized on Jan. 6 by Congress.
Trump asserted, in a publicized speech, that his win was “a historic electoral landslide victory in our nation’s democracy.” However, Clinton won the popular vote by about 3 million ballots, causing major discourse between supporters of both candidates
Trump’s first response of victory came from Vice President-elect, Mike Pence. He tweeted, “Congratulations to @RealDonaldTrump; officially elected President of the United States today by the Electoral College!” This tweet was followed by another one, which stated that Pence was, “honored & humbled to be officially elected today as the next Vice President of the United States of America by the Electoral College.”
In the state of Washington, four electors chose other candidates rather than supporting Clinton. Three ballots were for Secretary of State Colin Powell, while the other one was for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American activist. Those Democratic electors that voted for candidates other than Clinton chose moderate Republicans in hopes of assuaging the Republican electors to cast their votes for someone other than Trump.
Still, most remained loyal to their party’s official nominee. Former President Bill Clinton voted for his wife in New York. Earlier today he tweeted, “As an elector from my home state of New York, I’ve never been more proud to cast
a vote than my vote today for @HillaryClinton.”
In November when the votes were counted, Trump won 306 to Clinton’s 232 votes.
The electors, 538 men and women, are chosen by state parties and assembled in all 50 states, including the District of Columbia. In most cases, electors are required to follow the people’s vote.
In the state of Minnesota, one elector declared he was voting for Clinton who was not his state’s winner. He was later disqualified and replaced. However, the alternate still voted for Clinton.
Protests have emerged around the country with one last hope of stopping the candidate they disagreed with. People have protested near electoral voting centers with one last begging request to stop Trump’s election. Evidence of Russia’s intervention in the election also fueled this discourse, culminating in widespread political factions.
Yet, despite this, once all of the electoral votes have been counted, Trump will be ready for his inauguration on Jan. 20.
