Arizona Casts Electoral College Votes For Joe Biden

ARIZONA — After seven legal challenges were dismissed in Arizona courts, the state's 11 Electoral College votes were cast for Democratic President-elect Joe Biden on Monday.

The Electoral College met on Monday at 10 a.m. The meeting was closed to the public but was broadcast live on Arizona Secretary of State Kate Hobbs' Facebook page.

Biden defeated Republican President Donald Trump in Arizona by more than 10,000 votes, turning the state blue for the first time since 1996.

The Electoral College is comprised of 538 electors who cast one vote per person for president and vice president. Arizona has 11 electors to reflect the number of senators and representatives it has in the U.S. Congress. Electors pledge to support the candidate they represent and may not vote otherwise, meaning Arizona's electors voted for Biden and could not vote for Trump.

A candidate must receive at least 270 of the 538 electoral votes cast nationwide to be elected president, according to Benson's office. If no candidate receives 270 votes, the final decision is made by the U.S. House of Representatives — something that has been done twice previously in U.S. history.

Biden's victory in Arizona was not a clear path. He was declared the winner after days of vote counting, followed by multiple legal challenges filed in the state's trial courts alleging fraud.

There has been no evidence of large scale election fraud in the Nov. 3 General Election, federal and state officials have maintained. All seven legal challenges were dismissed, including one brought all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court by Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward, who sought to overturn the election in Trump's favor.

Arizona certified its election results on Nov. 30 after all 15 counties in the state had done so.

Hobbs began the proceedings with prepared remarks, addressing the "baseless" fraud allegations and violent threats surrounding the Nov. 3 election. Hobbs, her office and her family were on the receiving end of some of these threats and the Arizona Department of Public Safety was called in to offer her protection.

"While there are those who are upset their candidate didn't win, it is patently un-American and unacceptable that today's event should be anything less than an honored tradition, held with pride and celebration," she said.

The 11 electors then got to work, silently casting their votes for Biden. After the meeting, the certificates will be sent to the president of the U.S. Senate, the chief judge of the Federal District Court for the District of Arizona, the Archivist of the United States and the Arizona Secretary of State's office. Additional certificate copies are held in the event a replacement set is needed and for historic preservation.

But as the meeting drew to a close, Hobbs acknowledged that the mistrust surrounding the democratic process is far from over.

"As this event comes to a close, it is evident that this is not the end of the discussion about the 2020 election nor how we conduct elections going forward," she said. "This is likely the beginning of a lengthy debate about how to reclaim faith in our democratic institutions. I look forward to those discussions with people of good intent and interest in rebuilding our faith in each other."

The Democratic electors this year include the outgoing chair of the state party, Felicia Rotellini, Corporation Commissioner Sandra Kennedy, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo and Constance Jackson, president of the Pinal County NAACP.

The electors also include labor union officials, like Arizona AFL-CIO President James McLaughlin, Arizona AFL-CIO Executive Director Fred Yamashita and Arizona Education Association Executive Director Luis Alberto Heredia.

Several tribal leaders were also included in the group: Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis and Tohono O'odham Nation Chairman Ned Norris Jr.

Congress will receive the Electoral College votes on Jan. 6.