The 2008 Electoral Votes (those formally cast by Presidential Electors back on 15 December 2008: these Electors having been "appointed [as well as- at least theoretically- "pledged"] via the results of the Presidential Election in each of the 50 States plus the District of Columbia back on 4 November 2008) are counted and tabulated before a Joint Session of both houses of Congress, presided over by the constitutional President of the Senate (Vice President Dick CHENEY), after which it is officially declared who has been elected President and Vice President of the United States of America.
Vice President Cheney gaveled the Tabulation Joint Session to order at 1:08 PM EST (1808 UTC)
538 total Electoral Votes (1 per each U.S. Senator and Representative in Congress to which each State is entitled, plus 3 for D.C.)- thus, there were 538 duly appointed Presidential Electors re: 2008.
No objections were raised by any Senators or Representatives to the counting and tabulating of the Electoral Vote from any State (or the District of Columbia). The Certificates of the Electoral Vote from all 51 jurisdictions seemed "to be regular in form and authentic" and the total Electoral Vote as "ascertained and delivered to the President of the Senate" by the four Tellers- two from each house of Congress, one from each side of the aisle:
- from the UNITED STATES SENATE
- Senator Robert BENNETT (R-Utah)
- Senator Chuck SCHUMER (D-New York)
- from the U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
- Congressman Robert BRADY (D-Pennsylvania)
- Congressman Dan LUNGREN (R-California)
was determined to be as follows:
270 Electoral Votes (a Majority of same) necessary to elect
Therefore, it was officially declared that
- BARACK H. OBAMA was elected President of the United States
- JOSEPH R. BIDEN was elected Vice President of the United States
for four-year terms beginning at Noon EST (1700 UTC), 20 January 2009.
Vice President Cheney dissolved the Tabulation Joint Session at 1:36 P.M. EST (1836 UTC)
| 
