Electoral College votes for Biden and Harris in Washington state

Washington state's Electoral College gave President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris their votes in Olympia today.

It marks a big step in moving past this year's presidential election because President Trump refuses to concede he lost his race for re-election. 

"Elections are always really long and this one, getting to the end of it was really exciting," said elector Sophia Danemberg.

Elector Jack Arends suffers from heart, kidney, and liver disease and said he was glad to stand up for change in his lifetime.

"My days are numbered but I was determined to stand up publicly and oppose what has been going on," said Arends.

The current presidential race and past ones have highlighted the importance of the Electoral College.

"In 2016 President Trump won the majority of votes in the electoral college. Hillary Clinton actually won more nationwide in the popular vote, but the winner of the popular vote doesn't matter. What matters is who won the majority of the electoral vote," said James Long, UW Associate Professor of Political Science.

Elector Sophia Danemberg said she was honored to be a part of the process but feels it is archaic and should be eliminated.

"It distorts our democracy. We had to wait and wonder whether or not the person who had 7 million more votes was going to win this election," said Danemberg.

Although Monday's vote looked different from years past due to COVID-19, Secretary of State Kim Wyman said the purpose was the same.

"This was democracy in action. It really is the official steps to get the vote to Congress and start the transition of power," said Wyman.

The results will be sent to Washington DC and tallied in a joint session of Congress on January 6.