California certification cements Biden’s victory

California has certified its presidential election results and appointed 55 electors to vote for Democrat Joe Biden, officially handing him the Electoral College majority needed to win the White House.

Secretary of State Alex Padilla’s formal approval yesterday of Biden’s win in the state brought his tally of pledged electors so far to 279, topping the 270 threshold for victory.

The electors will meet on December 14, along with their counterparts from other states, to formally vote for the next president. Most states have laws binding their electors to the winner of the popular vote in their state, measures that were upheld by a Supreme Court decision this year.

The results of the Electoral College vote are due to be received, and typically approved, by Congress on January 6. Although lawmakers can object to accepting the electors’ votes, it would be almost impossible for Biden to be blocked.

The Democrat-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate would vote separately to resolve any disputes.

One already has arisen in Pennsylvania, where 75 Republican lawmakers signed a statement yesterday urging Congress to block the state’s electoral votes from being cast for Biden. But the state’s Republican US senator, Pat Toomey, said he would not object to the electors.

In late November, every swing state won by Biden certified him as the winner of its election, and appointed electors to the Electoral College. Trump has fruitlessly tried to stop those states from certifying Biden as the winner and appointing electors for him.