Maryland Electors Unanimously Vote For President-Elect Joe Biden
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Maryland electors cast their official ballots in the 2020 Presidential Election and unanimously voted for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
Gov. Larry Hogan certified the electors' ballots and it's the 59th time Maryland has participated in the Electoral College vote for the President and Vice President of the U.S. A total of 538 ballots are being cast across the country Monday.
Maryland is one of just six states that has participated in every Electoral College vote since 1789 when George Washington became our nation's first president.
WATCH: Gov. Hogan Certifies Maryland Electoral College Ballots
"As Governor of Maryland, It is my responsibility to officially declare and certify the winning votes of our state selectors by executing seven certificates of ascertainment under the seal of our great state," Hogan said Monday.
The governor later issued a statement calling the peaceful transition of power "a hallmark of our democracy for more than 220 years."
"President Trump and his legal team have had every opportunity to present evidence to support their accusations and they have failed to do so. The American system is the envy of the world because ultimately the truth and the rule of law prevail. This election was no exception. No American should have any reason to doubt that this election was fair and legitimate," Hogan said.
The peaceful transition of power has been a hallmark of our democracy for more than 220 years. Today I issued the following statement on the Electoral College's confirmation of President-elect Biden's election victory: pic.twitter.com/t7kT7DuIrK
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) December 14, 2020
The Maryland electors took an oath and signed to certify their ballots.
The official electoral votes will then be sealed and delivered to the President of the United States Senate: Vice President Mike Pence. Pence will then open them and read them to both houses of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.
Maryland's electors cast votes for President and Vice President at noon in live-streamed event https://t.co/x8H1KtmHa3 @wjz pic.twitter.com/GL77L9tgDJ
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) December 14, 2020
The next president must have at least 270 electoral college votes to win the election officially.
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are poised to have 306 electoral college votes. Maryland accounts for 10 of the votes.
"The peaceful transition of power that we formally take part in here today is a hallmark of our democracy that has been handed down for more than 220 years," said Hogan. "At times that has been tested, sometimes even questioned, but it is a reminder that despite our differences. We are united as Americans, who honor the will of the people through the greatest and most enduring democratic process that the world has ever known."