OLYMPIA — Today Secretary of State Kim Wyman presided over Washington’s 2020 Electoral College. The state’s 12 electors cast ballots for Joseph R. Biden for president and Kamala D. Harris for vice president, both of whom won the popular vote in the Nov. 3 General Election.
The Electoral College vote was held in the Legislative building in Olympia, which is not open to the public. To ensure public health and safety, and in adherence to health guidelines, attendance was limited to the electors and alternates, and authorized persons. TVW broadcast the ceremony live and online.
As set forth in the U.S. Constitution, the number of electors allocated to each state reflects the state’s Congressional delegation. With two U.S. Senators and 10 U.S. Representatives, Washington is awarded 12 electoral votes. The nominees for president and vice president who received the majority of Washington’s popular vote in the General Election receive all 12 of the state’s electoral votes.
With 2,369,612 votes (or 57.97%) for the Biden/Harris ticket, vs. 1,584,651 (or 38.77%) for Donald Trump and Mike Pence, Washington voters elected the Democratic Party electors. They are: Martin Chaney, Jack Arends, Jackie Lane, Patricia Whitefoot, Nancy Monacelli, Julie Johnson, Sophia Danenberg, Jen Carter, Bryan Kesterson, Julian Wheeler, Santiago Ramos, and Payton Swinford. Each elector signed a pledge to vote for the nominee of the party they represent.
After the roll call of electors, ballots were cast and then presented to Secretary Wyman, who signed and certified the results. The certificates of the vote will then be delivered to the President of the Senate, who will officially count the electoral votes from all 50 states and the District of Columbia Jan. 6, 2021.
Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees a number of areas within state government, including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office also manages the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, oversees the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees, and administers the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.