Joe Biden yesterday crossed the 270-vote mark to be formally elected as next US president by the Electoral College, according to Deutsche Welle (DW).
Biden reportedly reached the milestone with California's 55 votes. After Hawaii then added its tally, Biden reached 306 votes. Current US President Donald Trump received 232.
Trump, who has long refuted the results of the election, continued to make claims that the election was rigged on Monday. In a tweet, he said an unreleased report of voting in a Michigan county could be an “election changing result.” The claim was flagged by Twitter as disputed, according to DW.
Biden confronted Trump's accusations and lawsuits across several states, which attempted to reject the election results.
"It's a position so extreme we've never seen it before. A position that refused to respect the will of the people, refused to respect the rule of law, and refused to honor our constitution," said Biden.
Biden reportedly also condemned the threats of violence against election officials.
The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of electing the president and vice president. Each state appoints electors according to its legislature, equal in number to its congressional delegation (senators and representatives). Federal office holders cannot be electors. Of the current 538 electors, an absolute majority of 270 or more electoral votes is required to elect the president and vice president.
Currently, the states and the District of Columbia hold a statewide or districtwide popular vote on Election Day in November to choose electors based upon how they have pledged to vote for president and vice president, with some state laws against faithless electors. All jurisdictions use a winner-take-all method to choose their electors, except for Maine and Nebraska, which choose one elector per congressional district and two electors for the ticket with the highest statewide vote. The electors meet and vote in December and the inauguration of the president and vice president takes place in January.
