ORLANDO, Fla. — Election Day isn’t really Election Day. In Florida you can vote by mail almost a month before the election, you can vote in person two weeks before the election, and the results of Election Day don’t even get certified for two weeks later.
Each state runs its election a little bit differently. Some count mail ballots before Election Day, others choose to wait until after. But, at least when it comes to the Presidential election, there are some constants: ballots will be counted, results certified, and electors chosen.
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On Tuesday, December 8, states move into what is known as “Safe Harbor”, this is a time where if the state has finished counting and certified its results, those results are considered to be legally binding when they are sent to Congress for counting.
Between now and then, another thing must happen: electors must be chosen for each state. In Florida, one of those electors is Brevard County Republican, Randy Fine.
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“I am one of the 29 Constitutional officers from Florida who gets to vote in the Electoral College,” says Fine. “There are 538 electors appointed nationwide, and you need 270 to win, and I’m one of Florida’s 29.”
With every state having now officially certified its presidential election results, each state will now select a slate of electors to vote for the president. On Monday, December 14 those electors will travel to their state capitols and vote for whichever candidate won their state; in Florida it’ll be for Trump, while in Georgia it will be for Biden.
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The results of that vote are then sent to Washington DC, where on January 6, a joint session of Congress will meet to count the votes.
“You get to be a part of history and that’s exciting and I’m honored to have been asked to do it,” says Fine.
Cox Media Group
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