DENVER — Colorado’s nine electors met at the state Capitol building on Monday to officially cast their Electoral College votes for the next president of the United States of America.
Colorado Chief Justice Nathan B. Coats swore in the electors who then cast their votes for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. An alternate elector stepped in at the last moment after one of the nine electors failed to show up.
During the 2016 presidential election, Michael Baca was dismissed after attempting to vote for a candidate other than Hillary Clinton. An alternate elector was chosen, and the state completed the process.
The 2016 faithless elector episode and others like it led to a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision back in July that allowed Colorado to require its presidential electors to vote for the winner of the state’s popular vote in a presidential election and may remove them if they do not do so.
The nine Colorado votes for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were certified and will be mailed to Washington. A similar process is playing out in all 50 states across the country as the Electoral College formally confirms Biden’s victory.
The Electoral College vote is usually a fairly procedural step in the presidential election. Still, its importance is heightened this year because President Donald Trump is refusing to concede his loss.