• Font Size    
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

It's Official: Obama Elected 44th President

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +   
Dec 15, 2008 10:15 am US/Central

It's Official: Obama Elected 44th President

 Transition To A New Government

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) ― Presidential electors have formally elected Barack Obama the nation's 44th president.

Electors gathering in state capitols across the country have pushed Obama above the 270 electoral votes needed to win, according to a tally by The Associated Press. Obama takes office Jan. 20, becoming the nation's first black president.

Monday's voting was a largely ceremonial procedure, but one mandated by the Constitution. Obama defeated Republican Sen. John McCain in the Nov. 4 election.

More than 131 million voters cast ballots - the most ever in a presidential election. But Obama's election will not be complete until Congress tallies the outcome of Monday's Electoral College vote at a joint session scheduled for Jan. 6.

It's a mostly ceremonial procedure, but one mandated by the Constitution — and a necessary one, as well.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.