Idaho’s 4 electors cast votes for Trump and Pence
BOISE, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK/AP) - All four of Idaho's Republican electors on Monday cast their ballots for President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
The formal but brief ceremony at the Idaho Statehouse was limited to mainly Republican Gov. Brad Little, Republican Secretary of State Lawerence Denney and the four electors due to COVID-19 concerns.
Trump garnered 64% of the vote in the Nov. 3 presidential election, easily claiming red-state Idaho's four electoral votes. But Democrat Joe Biden won enough other states to get the majority of electoral votes to push him past Trump.
Trump has refused to concede, drawing increased interest in the Electoral College process. The Electoral College formally elects the president, and each state has as many votes as members in Congress.
A candidate must win 270 of the 538 votes to be elected. All states' electors met Monday. The results will be sent to Washington and tallied in a Jan. 6 joint session of Congress.
Idaho's electors unanimously signed separate ballots for Trump and Pence during Monday's meeting. Idaho's electors are Republican stalwarts. They are former U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, former state Sen. Rod Beck and former state Sen. Melinda Smyser.
ORIGINAL: As laid out by federal law, Idaho’s Electoral College delegates will cast the state’s presidential votes at noon Monday at the Idaho State Capitol.
According to the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office, “Federal law (USCS Title 3, Section 7), requires the meeting of electors, in their respective states, to be held on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December. Idaho statute further dictates that the meeting of Idaho’s electors, under I.C. § 34-1503, occur at 12:00 noon on the day that is directed by Congress.”
Presidential electors are appointed respective to each prevailing candidate, so the four Idaho electors were appointed by the Republican Party.
It is expected, then, that all four will be cast for President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence, since Trump-Pence won the popular vote in Idaho. Idaho does not have any statutes preventing what is known as a “faithless elector,” who could cast his or her vote for any person who is not their affiliated party’s official candidate. And, Idaho has never had a “faithless elector” since statehood in 1890.
Once the electoral votes are cast and tallied, multiple packages, each containing an originally signed copy of the “Certificate of Votes”, along with multiple other documents, are sent to the President of the United States Senate, the national archivist, and the chief judge of the Federal District of Idaho. The packages from each state are then opened in the next step of the electoral process in congress in early January.
Due to COVID-19, the state will provide a livestream of the event via IPTV’s Idaho in Session website below.
