MONTGOMERY — Members of the Alabama Republican Party gathered with state officials in the capitol on Monday to officially cast the state’s nine Electoral College votes for President Donald Trump.
Trump in 2020 received the largest-ever number of votes a candidate has received from the voters in Alabama. He earned 1,441,170 votes to former Vice President Joe Biden’s 849,624 votes, according to Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill.
Merrill spoke at Monday’s ceremony along with Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville).
All 50 states and Washington, D.C. are casting their Electoral College votes on Monday. The electors are expected to make Joe Biden president-elect by an Electoral College vote count 0f 306-232.
Marshall on Monday praised the way Alabama conducted its election, but said “the vote in other states has been much less conclusive.”
He added, “Alabama has been on the front lines of fighting for election integrity, and we will continue to do so.”
The Supreme Court of the United States on Friday declined to take up a high-profile election lawsuit that Marshall and five of Alabama’s congressional members filed legal briefs to support. The court found the case, led by the Texas Attorney General, lacked standing.
President Trump has not given up the fight over the election results, claiming the election was rigged.
January 6 is the next day in the official certification of presidential election results. It is on that date that the U.S. Congress will hold a joint session to count the Electoral College votes.
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) and a small group of other conservative lawmakers are planning to contest the Electoral College vote count on January 6, but the effort is considered a long-shot as Democrats control the House of Representatives and there has as-of-yet been no public interest from Senate Republicans in joining Brooks’ initiative.
Alabama’s nine electoral college electors for the 2020 elections are highly involved members of the Alabama Republican Party; the organization that got to choose the electors as its candidate for president carried the state.
They are as follows:
Dennis H. Beavers of Blountsville (At-large)
John Wahl of Athens (At-large)
Jackie Gay of Brewton (CD 1)
Jeana Boggs of Deatsville (CD 2)
Joseph Fuller of Alexander City (CD 3)
John Killian of Fayette (CD 4)
J. Elbert Peters of Huntsville (CD 5)
Joan Reynolds of Shoal Creek (CD 6)
Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate of Lowndesboro (CD 7)
Aderholt, in his remarks, praised the institution of the Electoral College as one that serves America well and carries out the vision of the country’s founders.
“I think our system has worked just fine over the last 200 years and I don’t see any reason to change it,” Aderholt said at the ceremony.
“Following the conclusion of today’s ceremony, Certificates of Vote and Ascertainment will be distributed to the President of the United States Senate, the Office of the Federal Register, the Alabama Secretary of State, and the Chief United States District Judge for the Middle District of Alabama,” advised Grace Newcombe, a spokesperson for Secretary Merrill, in an email after the event concluded.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.
