Wisconsin’s 10 presidential electors cast their votes for President-elect Joe Biden on December 14, taking one of the final state-level procedural steps in a tumultuous election year.
The 10 Democratic presidential electors met at the state Capitol Building at noon, as is required under state law, to cast their votes for Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
The process, which is typically obscure and happens without much public interest, was under a spotlight this year following a flurry of lawsuits from President Donald Trump and his allies over election results.
Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and one of the electors, lauded the ballots being cast for Biden as a sign that “democracy won” in 2020.
“Every American who doubted, today makes it real — your vote counted, your vote mattered, your vote was powerful beyond measure,” Wikler said. “Your vote changed the world.”
The electors votes came less than an hour after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled against a lawsuit from the president seeking to overturn the results of Wisconsin’s presidential election. Certified results, including the findings of recounts in Dane and Milwaukee counties, show Biden defeated Trump by a margin of roughly 20,600 votes in the state.
Shortly after the electors’ ballots were cast, Governor Tony Evers, another elector, made a quiet, informal statement of victory.
“We made it,” Evers said.
Later, Governor Evers said the electors did their part to “continue the long and sacred tradition of democracy, of honoring the will of the people.”
Wisconsin has one elector for each of its eight Congressional districts and two statewide electors. Electors for each political party with ballot status in Wisconsin are chosen in October by politicians and party officials.
According to Andrew Hitt, chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, Wisconsin’s Republican electors also met in the state Capitol on December 14.
“While President Trump’s campaign continues to pursue legal options for Wisconsin, Republican electors met today in accordance with statutory guidelines to preserve our role in the electoral process with the final outcome still pending in the courts,” Hitt said in a prepared statement.
Some federal lawsuits challenging Wisconsin’s election results are still pending appeals.
The Democratic electors voting Monday were:
- Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin
- Governor Tony Evers
- Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes
- Meg Andrietsch, secretary of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and chair of the Racine County Democrats
- State Representative Shelia Stubbs, D-Madison
- Patty Schachtner, Outgoing State Senator D-Somerset
- Shannon Holsey, president of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans Tribal Council
- Khary Penebaker, Democratic National Committee member and treasurer of the DNC Black Caucus
- Ronald Martin, president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council
- Mary Arnold, chair of the Democratic Party of Columbia County
State law requires presidential electors to meet at noon on “the first Monday after the 2nd Wednesday in December” to cast their votes. After the electors’ ballots are cast and certificates are signed, Governor Evers and Secretary of State Doug LaFollette will sign off and Wisconsin’s paperwork will be forwarded to the Vice President of the United States, federal archivists in Washington DC, and the chief judge of the Western District of Wisconsin federal court.
Congress is scheduled to meet January 6 to count the electoral votes of all 50 states. Those votes may be challenged by members of the U.S. House of Representatives or U.S. Senate, and some GOP members of the House say they plan to do so. However, the votes cannot be rejected unless a majority of both chambers vote to do so.
President-Elect Biden’s inauguration is scheduled for January 20.
Laurel White
Mоrry Gаsh
Originally published on Wisconsin Public Radio as Wisconsin Presidential Electors Cast Votes For Biden
