West Virginia Casts 5 Electoral Votes For President Donald Trump
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia's five presidential electors on Monday cast their votes for President Donald Trump, who won nearly 69% of the state's popular vote in November.
The electors, which included Republican Gov. Jim Justice, signed off on their votes inside the state capitol building in Charleston. Secretary of State Mac Warner presided over the live-streamed ceremony, which took less than 15 minutes.
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Warner has said the November election produced the second-highest voter turnout in the state's history. His office said 803,000 voters cast a ballot, equaling about 63% of registered voters.
"Contrary to popular opinion, the U.S. is not a democracy. We are a constitutional republic," Warner said, making reference to the Electoral College process determining presidents over the nation's popular vote.
Justice voted in a separate room from the rest inside the capitol where he holds near-daily news conferences. He hailed the ceremony "as a great day for America."
Nationally, President-elect Joe Biden won enough states to claim 306 electoral votes to 232 for Trump. It takes 270 Electoral College votes to be elected.
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