WASHINGTON (AP) -- Joe Biden has cleared the 270-electoral-vote mark to formalize his presidential victory with California’s 55 votes.
The voting milestone came late Monday when California electors affirmed Biden’s massive 5 million-vote win last month in the nation’s largest state.
The Electoral College took on added importance this year because of President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede he lost his race for reelection.
Heightened security was in place in some states as electors in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — the six battleground states that Biden won and Trump contested — gave Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris their votes Monday in low-key proceedings. Nevada’s electors met via Zoom because of the coronavirus pandemic.
When all the votes are in, Biden is expected to have 306 electoral votes to 232 for Trump. It takes 270 to be elected. In the popular vote count, Biden topped Trump by more than 7 million votes nationwide.
“In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed,” Biden said in remarks prepared for an evening speech. “We the people voted. Faith in our institutions held. The integrity of our elections remains intact. And so, now it is time to turn the page. To unite. To heal.”