By Peter Hancock
Capitol News Illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com
Illinois officially awarded its 19 electoral votes Tuesday to vice president Kamala Harris and Minnesota governor Tim Walz, the unsuccessful Democratic candidates to be the next president and vice president of the United States.
During a ceremony at the Statehouse that lasted only about half an hour, 19 individuals chosen by the Democratic Party of Illinois stepped up, one-by-one, and dropped their paper ballots into a specially-made wooden box, one ballot for president, and a separate ballot for vice president.
Similar ceremonies were carried out in state capitals across the country and Washington, D.C. Although the final outcome has been known for weeks, the formal ceremony was still carried out, just as it has in every presidential election since the nation’s founding.
The ballots cast on Tuesday will next be delivered to the president of the U.S. Senate – who happens to be Harris – who will open and tally them during a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.