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Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Lititz on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024.
Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Lititz on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024.
Many Pennsylvanians have moved on from the 2024 election, assuming the presidential results are final.
Donald Trump is indeed president-elect, and will have Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his vice president.
But before they can take the oath of office on Jan. 20, the formal steps choreographed by the Constitution must be followed. And until the members of the Electoral College meet in state capitals across the country, and those votes are then officially accepted during a joint session of Congress, the Trump-Vance victory is not final.
Pennsylvania’s presidential electors are scheduled to meet in Harrisburg at noon tomorrow to cast their ballots for president and vice president. It’s a largely ceremonial affair, as the electors are handpicked by the winning presidential candidate.
Under Pennsylvania’s winner-take-all system, Trump and Vance secured the state’s 19 electoral votes with their 120,000-vote victory over the Democratic Party ticket.
Here are a few details about the Electoral College:
On Election Day, voters aren’t directly choosing their preferred presidential candidate. Instead, they’re voting for a slate of electors pledged to vote for that candidate when the Electoral College meets.
The U.S. Constitution provides states with one elector for each of its U.S. senators and representatives in Congress. Pennsylvania’s 17 House members and two senators add up to 19 electors.
Nationally, there are 538 electors, and a majority (270) is needed for a candidate to win the White House. Trump won 312 electoral votes this year.
Pennsylvania’s 2024 GOP electors
William ‘Bill’ Bachenberg, Allentown
Vallerie Biancaniello, Broomall
Curt Coccodrilli, Jefferson Township
Bernadette Comfort, Fogelsville
Robert Gleason, Johnstown
Joyce Haas, State College
Fred Keller, Middleburg
Ash Khare, Warren
JonDavid Longo, Slippery Rock
Robin Medeiros, Clarks Summit
Rochelle Pasquariello, Lehighton
Patricia Poprick, Doylestown
Andrew Reilly, Media
Carol ‘Lynne’ Ryan, New Castle
Carla Sands, Camp Hill
James ‘Jim’ Vasilko, Johnstown
T. Lynette Villano, West Pittston
Christine Wilkins, East Stroudsburg/Analomink
Samuel ‘Jim’ Worthington, Newtown
This year’s slate of electors does not include someone from the 11th Congressional District, which covers Lancaster County and a portion of York County. Biden chose Lancaster City Council member Janet Diaz as one of his electors in 2020. In 2016, Trump also did not have an elector from Lancaster County.
Presidential candidates choose their slate of electors in Pennsylvania, according to state law. They have 30 days after their respective national conventions to file the names of those electors with the Department of State.
Any qualified voter can be chosen as an elector, except members of Congress or federal officeholders, per Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution. Electors rarely draw much public attention. Their names aren’t even included on Pennsylvania’s ballots.
Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution established the basics of what is now called the Electoral College. It lays out the fundamental rules of electing a president and vice president while giving Congress the power to choose the date when electors meet.
The 12th Amendment revised the article’s original wording, which required electors to cast separate votes for president and vice president. It also stated that in the event of an Electoral College tie, the House of Representatives “shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President,” with each state getting one vote. The Senate would do the same for the vice president, with all 100 senators eligible to vote.
On Jan. 6, a joint session of Congress is held where the electoral votes submitted by the states are counted and certified.
Two weeks later – at noon on Jan. 20 – Trump and Vance will be sworn into office. Inauguration Day falls on a Monday next month.
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