The nine members of Colorado's electoral college, like their counterparts across the country, met Monday at the state Capitol to cast their votes in the 2020 presidential election.
There were no surprises at the Electoral College ceremony in Colorado, where more than 55% of voters chose Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the country’s next president and vice president.
The public was not allowed to attend because of the pandemic, and a Republican worker at the state Capitol complained about being barred from watching it in person. But that was about the only drama at a ceremony that started with an ode to a very unusual election.
“Elections in 2020 included fires, pandemics, threat of foreign attack and extensive election misinformation,” Secretary of State Jena Griswold said.
She said Colorado’s election was incredibly successful despite those challenges. Then the nine electors, a group of Democrats mostly from the Front Range, were sworn in. After applying hand sanitizer and filling out some paperwork, the electors officially awarded Biden and Harris the state’s nine electoral votes.
Elector Victoria Marquesen, of Pueblo, said the vote brought some closure.
“It seems final,” she said. “You know, it seems like the election is final. We know it’s final but it’s just that much more clarification for everybody that it really was a democratic election.”
Elector Judi Ingelido, of Colorado Springs, said she hopes the ceremonies also ends all the legal challenges against the results in several swing states.
“I’m hoping after today, that not only the president, but the other Republican leadership, will put this to rest, and recognize that this is what our democratic process is all about, and they will honor it and follow the rule of law,” she said.
But even as Democrats celebrated the end of an election in which their top candidates prevailed, Colorado Republicans were preparing for a hearing at the Capitol on Tuesday that they say will focus on questioning the integrity of the election. One of President Trump’s legal advisers is scheduled to give testimony.
Editor's note: Due to the pandemic and social distancing, news outlets were encouraged to use a pool arrangement where only a few reporters would attend the ceremony in person and share content with other outlets. This story included interviews conducted by Colorado Public Radio statehouse reporter Bente Birkeland.
