Monday Balloting Begins Electoral Vote Ritual to Certify Obama’s Win

[babylonsister]

Dec. 15, 2008 – 4:36 a.m.
Monday Balloting Begins Electoral Vote Ritual to Certify Obama’s Win
By Greg Giroux, CQ Staff


The outcome of the 2008 presidential contest was determined late on Election Day Nov. 4, when Democrat Barack Obama claimed victory and Republican John McCain conceded. The vigorous efforts since by Obama and his transition team to fill Cabinet posts and staff the White House for his administration have kept Obama in the news on almost a daily basis, even though he won’t be sworn in to succeed outgoing Republican George W. Bush until Jan. 20.

But in a strictly technical sense, Obama hasn’t won anything yet — though the ritual casting of electoral votes in each of the 50 state capitals and the District of Columbia, scheduled to take place Monday, will begin the two-step process to certify the former Illinois senator’s election as the 44th president of the United States.

Obama won a clear-cut victory in the nation’s popular vote, with 53 percent to 46 percent for McCain. But presidential elections are decided by winning a majority of the 538 electoral votes, with each of the 50 states allotted a number equal to both its U.S. Senate seats plus all of its House seats. The District of Columbia, which has only a non-voting House delegate, is allotted three electoral votes under the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution.

There is no dispute that Obama also will win a firm majority of the 538 electoral votes. He should receive 365 to 173 for McCain, according to state-by-state tallies of the popular vote. The electors in each of these places — many of them Democratic and Republican activists, and nearly all selected by the candidates’ campaigns because of their loyalty — will convene to cast the votes that will make Obama’s election official.

These electoral votes will then be counted in a joint session of Congress on Jan. 8, two days after the 111th Congress convenes and 12 days before Obama will take the oath of office.

more...

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=news-000002997757