Obama elected president - for real

President Obama was declared winner of the presidential elections shortly after 11:00 pm E.T. on election night, November 6, by the news media. But his successful reelection was not official until today when a joint session of Congress certified that the president won 332 electoral votes compared to Mitt Romney's 206. A majority of 270 are necessary to win the presidency.

Vice President Joe Biden, who was also officially reelected today and, as president of the Senate, is next in line for the presidency, presided over the 25-minute ceremony that certified the votes of each state's Electoral College. The newly reelected speaker of the House, John Boehner, who is second in line to succeed the president, monitored the process while sitting to Biden's left.

This is the final step in a three-step election process that began on November 6 when 121 million people went to the polls to express their preference for the presidency. The Twelfth Amendment mandates that the president and vice president be chosen by the Electoral College, not the people. On December 17, electors from around the country gathered in state capitols to officially vote for the next president.

Now that a joint session of Congress certified the vote and the president is officially elected, Mr. Obama will be sworn in on January 20 in a private ceremony administered by Chief Justice John Roberts. The public viewing of the inauguration will take place on Monday, January 21.

National Journal reported that Republicans are working to change how the Electoral College works. In all states except for Nebraska and Maine, the system is winner-take-all. Using Republican majorities in state legislatures, the proposal would allocate votes based on the outcome in each congressional district, instead of the results of the entire state. That would give Republicans an advantage as Republican presidential candidates often win more, but sparsely populated, congressional districts but can lose the state because Democratic candidates tend to win fewer, densely populated districts.