President-elect Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 general election was confirmed Monday after members of the Electoral College cast their votes.
The 538 members of the Electoral College met in person, and Nevada meeting virtually, to make the results in their respective states official. Biden won 306 electoral votes, while President Donald Trump won 232 electoral votes.
The majority of the meetings went smoothly with little fanfare.
“In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed,” Biden said after the Electoral College met Monday. “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.”
But the 2020 general election isn’t done just yet.
Here’s what happens next.
Next up, Congress
The electoral votes cast Monday will now be submitted to a special joint session of Congress that will convene on Jan. 6, where votes will then be counted.
While Congress is expected to certify the votes, some Republican allies of Trump are expected to contest some states’ election outcomes. But nearly all states resolved election disputes before the so-called “safe harbor” deadline, guaranteeing their electors will be counted under federal law.
Stephen Miller, a Trump senior advisor, said Monday that Republicans in battleground states where Trump lost plan to meet to appoint their own slates of electors whose votes will be submitted to Congress. Several did, with groups gathering in Michigan, Georgia, New Mexico and elsewhere.
“We have more than enough time to right the wrong from this fraudulent election result and certify Donald Trump as the winner of the election,” Miller said during an appearance on Fox and Friends on Monday morning.
“As we speak today, an alternate slate of electors in the contested states is going to vote and we’re going to send those votes up to Congress. This will ensure all of our legal remedies will remain open.”
What about the lawsuits?
The Trump campaign has filed lawsuits in key battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada and Georgia. And Republican allies have also filed lawsuits, including in Texas and New Mexico, challenging the results.
The vast majority of lawsuits have been dismissed or denied, with a couple still pending.
And many of the lawsuits would likely not impact the results of the election, as most of the lawsuit filings are “small-scale lawsuits that do not appear to affect many votes,” according to the Associated Press.
A quick guide:Trump’s lawsuits dispute election results as presidency is called for Biden
Inauguration to happen in January
Despite Trump and his allies’ repeated attempts to challenge the election results, Biden and his team are preparing for the president-elect’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
Biden’s biggest challenge surrounding the inauguration isn’t election results being questioned. It’s COVID-19.
The inauguration is expected to be a scaled back event due to the coronavirus pandemic. Precautions like social distancing and required face masks will be part of this year’s event. In addition, people on stage with Biden will likely be required to take a COVID-19 test.
With Monday’s electoral vote now over, Biden is one step closer to inaugurated as the United State’s 46th president.
