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HARRISBURG — Republican Donald Trump will again become president in January, but first, his electors must meet around the country to cast their votes.
This ceremonial part of the Electoral College comes shortly before Congress counts the electoral votes ahead of the inauguration on Jan. 20.
In 2020, this routine part of the process was thrown into chaos when Pennsylvania Republicans urged Congress to reject electoral votes for Democrat Joe Biden and Trump pressured state lawmakers to overturn the results as he falsely claimed mass fraud.
However, such disruptions aren’t expected this year with Trump as the victor.
Here’s a look at Pennsylvania’s electors and their responsibilities:
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What happens between now and when electors meet in Harrisburg?
Can appointed electors cast a vote for someone other than Trump in Pennsylvania?
What is the Electoral College?
The framers of the U.S. Constitution created a system in which 538 people, or electors, serve as representatives for the people’s votes in each state and the District of Columbia. Once people vote, the electors then cast their votes directly for president and vice president.
How many electoral votes does Pennsylvania have?
Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes. Like most states, Pennsylvania awards all of them to the winner of the popular vote.
Trump won 3.5 million votes to Democrat Kamala Harris’ 3.4 million, giving him all of Pennsylvania’s electoral votes. In total, Trump won 312 electoral votes to Harris’ 226.
Who are Pennsylvania’s electors in 2024?
The state Republican Party submitted the following list of electors to the Pennsylvania Department of State:
William “Bill” Bachenberg, Allentown: A millionaire who owns a clay target shooting business in the Lehigh Valley and allegedly funded efforts to search for voter fraud in 2020.
Vallerie Biancaniello, Broomall: A member of the Republican Party state committee and RNC delegate.
Curt Coccodrilli, Jefferson Township: Former Pennsylvania director of rural development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and friend of Eric Trump.
Bernadette Comfort, Fogelsville: Vice chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party.
Robert Gleason, Johnstown: Former chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party and secretary of the commonwealth under ex-Gov. Dick Thornburgh.
Joyce Haas, State College: Political consultant and former vice chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party.
Fred Keller, Middleburg: Former U.S. representative and state representative.
Ash Khare, Warren: Member of the Warren County Republican Committee.
Jondavid Longo, Slippery Rock: Mayor of Slippery Rock and Pennsylvania chair of Early Vote Action, a GOP voter registration effort run by conservative activist Scott Presler.
Robin Medeiros, Clarks Summit: Former president of the Margery Scranton Council of Republican Women and regional director for the Pennsylvania Federation of Republican Women.
Rochelle Pasquariello, Lehighton: Carbon County Republican Committee member.
Patricia Poprik, Doylestown: Bucks County Republican Committee chair.
Andrew Reilly, Media: Former Delaware County Council member and RNC National committeeman.
Carol “Lynne” Ryan, New Castle: Chair of Lawrence County Republican Committee.
Carla Sands, Camp Hill: Former U.S. ambassador to Denmark and unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate.
James “Jim” Vasilko, Johnstown: Republican National Convention delegate.
T. Lynette Villano, West Pittston: Member of the Republican State Committee once described by a journalist as “Trump’s biggest fan.”
Christine Wilkins, East Stroudsburg/Analomink: Former Stroud Township supervisor.
Samuel “Jim” Worthington, Newtown: Newtown Athletic Club owner and chair of the Pennsylvania delegation at the 2024 Republican National Convention.
Five electors — Bachenberg, Comfort, Khare, Poprik and Reilly — drew criticism after submitting their names as electors for Pennsylvania in December 2020 and casting votes for Trump, even though Joe Biden won the state’s popular vote.
But unlike similar groups of alternate or “fake” electors in other swing states in 2020, the Pennsylvania slate avoided legal repercussions because of a caveat they included in the certificate documenting their vote.
How are electors chosen?
Under Pennsylvania law, each presidential candidate must pick electors within 30 days of their party’s national convention and submit those names to the secretary of the commonwealth.
The electors are appointed based on whichever candidate gets the most votes.
What qualifications must electors have?
The U.S. Constitution prohibits electors from being members of Congress or holding federal office. The 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, prevents any elected officeholders who have rebelled against the U.S. from serving as electors.
When do Trump’s electors meet in Pennsylvania?
Trump’s electors will meet in Harrisburg on Dec. 17.
What happens between now and when electors meet in Harrisburg?
After secretaries of state certify the election results, the governors must prepare a certificate of ascertainment for the National Archives and Records Administration (here’s Pennsylvania’s from 2020) with the names of appointed electors and the number of votes cast for each. Gov. Josh Shapiro must do so by Dec. 11.
“Federal law dictates that challenges to the certificate of ascertainment must be resolved no later than December 16, the day before the Electoral College convenes,” according to a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of State.
See a complete Electoral College timeline here.
Can appointed electors cast a vote for someone other than Trump in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania law doesn’t say anything about so-called “faithless electors,” or electors who cast a vote for a candidate other than the one who won the state popular vote. There’s no federal or constitutional provision requiring electors to cast a vote for the winning party either.
Over the years, there have been a few instances in other states where electors cast votes for candidates that differed from who voters in their state had selected — there were 10 such faithless electors in 2016, though three had their votes invalidated.
Nearly 40 states and Washington, D.C., have laws on the books requiring electors to vote for their candidate, according to FairVote, a nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for ranked-choice voting. Pennsylvania is not one of them.
This edition of Elections 101 was adapted from a story by former Spotlight PA/Votebeat reporter Marie Albiges. Votebeat’s Carter Walker contributed reporting.
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