President-Elect Joe Biden Collects Michigan's 16 Electoral Votes

MICHIGAN — Democratic President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Monday collected Michigan's 16 electoral college votes after the state's 16 electors unanimously voted in their favor.

Michigan's electors followed the state's popular vote from the Nov. 3 General Election, when Biden defeated President Donald Trump by more than 154,000 votes. By collecting Michigan's 16 electoral votes, Biden inches closer to the 270 needed to win the presidential election.

“Today, Michigan has spoken with one voice as the 16 electors voted unanimously to finalize Michigan’s election results in the Electoral College,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said following the vote. “During the worst public health crisis we have seen in our lifetime, more than 5.5 million Michiganders from all walks of life and all corners of the state cast their votes during this historic election. In the end, Michigan has chosen a clear winner for the office of president of the United States, and for every elected office down the ballot."

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Monday's Electoral College vote began shortly after 2 p.m. when state officials met at the Michigan Capitol. When it was announced that Biden was received the 16 votes, many of those in attendance stood and cheered.

The Electoral College is comprised of 538 electors who cast one vote per person for president and vice president, according to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. Michigan has 16 electors to reflect the number of senators and representatives it has in the U.S. Congress.

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.

Trump was ahead early on in Michigan, carrying a lead into early Wednesday morning. But as election officials across the state continued counting ballots, including a large number of absentee and mail-in ballots, the state's totals slowly turned blue.

The way the election turned out, with an influx in absentee voters due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, prompted GOP officials and Trump's campaign to allege widespread fraud across the nation and, in particular, Wayne County and Detroit.

There has been no evidence of large scale election fraud in the Nov. 3 General Election, federal and state officials have maintained. On Monday, Michigan's top Republican official said the state's Senate oversight committee has failed to find evidence of fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 election.

"President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris won Michigan's presidential election," Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey said.

The Michigan Board of Canvassers on Nov. 23 voted 3-0 to certify the state's Nov. 3 election results. By doing so, the panel confirmed that the state's 16 electoral voters would go to Biden.

One member of the board abstained from the vote, asking for an audit of election results. Benson has said several times the state would undergo an extensive audit.

However, the assurances of a post-election audit and lack of evidence relating to claims of election fraud have not settled the Trump campaign. A bevy of lawsuits has been filed in Michigan as well as across the nation, nearly all of which have been dismissed or rejected for lacking merit.

Some right-wing groups have taken matters into their own hands as well, with armed protests at the homes of Michigan election officials. Those protests, along with prior armed protests at Michigan's Capitol, prompted the state to take additional safety measures ahead of Monday's Electoral College vote.

On Friday, state authorities said the electors would have a police escort from the vehicles to the state Capitol in Lansing ahead of the vote. The state also closed all government buildings — including closing off the Capitol to the public — Monday due to "credible threats of violence."

A Michigan lawmaker was punished Monday after he said he could not guarantee there would not be violence Monday. Republican Rep. Gary Eisen, R-St. Clair Twp. was removed from his committee assignments after saying he couldn't promise Monday would be safe in a radio interview regarding the Electoral College vote in Michigan.

"We as elected officials must be clear that violence has no place in our democratic process," Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield said in a statement. "We must be held to a higher standard."