With the Secretary of State Alex Padilla's formal approval of Biden's win in the state, it has brought the tally of pledged electors so far to 279.
Presidential candidate Joe Biden was officially handed the Electoral College majority required to win the White House on Friday, December 4, as California certified its 2020 presidential election and appointed 55 electors pledged to vote for the Democrat candidate.
Cited by USA Today, The Associated Press reported that the Secretary of State, Alex Padilla's formal approval of Biden's win in the state brought the tally of pledged electors so far to 279. 270 electoral votes are what is needed for victory.
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla’s formal approval of Biden’s victory brought the Democrat’s tally of pledged electors so far to 279 - handing him the Electoral College majority needed to win the White House. https://t.co/qOap6JDImn
— KARE 11 (@kare11) December 5, 2020
According to Edward B. Foley, a law professor at Ohio State University, the accrual of 270 electors is the first step for Biden towards the White House even though it's been quite clear that he has won the presidential elections of 2020.
“It is a legal milestone and the first milestone that has that status,” he said. “Everything prior to that was premised on what we call projections.” The electors who pledged on Friday will meet on December 14 to formally vote for the next president of the United States, along with the counterparts in each state.
The electors' votes are steps that come under ignored formalities. But due to the increased scrutiny of the mechanics of electing the US president, as current President Donald Trump refuses to accept his defeat and has taken legal steps to determine the results, all these aspects of the elections are being highlighted.
Results of the Electoral College are still awaited and are expected to be approved by January 6. It is believed that even though lawmakers might object to accepting electors' votes, it is quite impossible to block Biden from office now.
The votes will be cast separately by the Democratic-controlled House and Republic-controlled House to resolve disputes that may arise. The state of Pennsylvania already faced some problems after 75 Republican lawmakers signed a statement where they requested Congress to block the state's electoral votes from being cast for Biden.
Seventy-five Republicans in Pennsylvania’s Legislature signed a statement urging members of Congress to block the state's electoral votes from being cast for Democratic President-elect Joe Biden.
— KDKA (@KDKA) December 5, 2020
https://t.co/rTezpMlza9
However, the state's Republican US senator, Pat Toomey cleared that he would not be objecting to Pennsylvania's state of electors. Foley said, “As a practical matter, we know that Joe Biden is going to be inaugurated on Jan. 20." The mail ballot counts had somewhat made it clear that Biden had come out victorious in enough states to win the Electoral College.
According to NBC News, Trump tried to stop the states where Biden won from certifying him as the winner and appointing electors for him, but in vain. By late November it was evident that the former vice president had won every swing state. States of Colorado, Hawaii, and New Jersey are yet to certify their results. Once done, Biden would have an upper hand of 306 in the Electoral College votes to Trump's 232.
Out of the 50 legal cases filed by President Trump and his allies, stating foul play in the counting of votes in states where Biden won, more than 30 have been dropped or rejected. The states targeted in the legal cases are mainly Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
In an Associated Press tally of roughly 50 cases brought by Trump's campaign and his allies, more than 30 have been rejected or dropped. About a dozen are awaiting action. https://t.co/X6sQvioJOl
— Lincoln Journal Star (@JournalStarNews) December 4, 2020
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