Joe Biden says ‘democracy prevailed’ after Electoral College affirms him as president-elect

WASHINGTON, DC — Presidential electors on Monday gave Joe Biden a majority of their votes, formalizing his victory in last month’s election.

“In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed,” Biden said in an evening speech to the nation. “We the people voted. Faith in our institutions held. The integrity of our elections remains intact. And so, now it is time to turn the page. To unite. To heal.”

California’s 55 votes put Biden over the top, clearing the 270-electoral-vote mark that affirmed he would be the nation’s next president.

Biden received 306 total electoral votes to handily beat President Donald Trump, who had 232 electoral votes. The Democrat had topped the incumbent Republican by more than 7 million in the popular vote nationwide.

The Electoral College took on added importance this year because of Trump’s refusal to concede he lost his race for re-election.

Heightened security was in place in some states as electors met on the day required by federal law, with masks, social distancing and other virus precautions the order of the day.

The results will be sent to Washington and tallied in a Jan. 6 joint session of Congress.

Biden renewed his campaign promise in his evening speech to be a president for all Americans, whether they voted for him or not, and said the country has hard work ahead on the coronavirus and economy.

But there was no concession from the White House, where Trump has continued to make unsupported allegations of fraud.

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