Gorbea, Raimondo To Host 2020 Rhode Island Electoral College

PROVIDENCE, RI—Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea and Governor Gina M. Raimondo will host Rhode Island’s 2020 Electoral College at 12 p.m. on Monday, December 14, 2020, said a press release from the Department of State.

The event will be held in the House Chambers of the Rhode Island State House. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only Electoral College participants will be allowed in the room and will comply with social distancing guidelines. Residents will be able to watch the event online through the State of Rhode Island General Assembly's website.

The United States Electoral College creates a two-step process for electing our country’s president and vice president. First, voters in each state cast their ballots in the general election, and in most states, the candidates with the most votes win that state's electoral votes and receive that number of electors. Second, the electors from each state gather to vote for president and vice president and the candidates who receive a majority of the 538 votes in the Electoral College win the election.

Rhode Island has four electoral votes in the 2020 Electoral College. Each state receives two votes for its two U.S. Senators and one vote for each member it has in the House of Representatives.

Because Democratic candidate Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris won November’s general election with 59.4% of the vote, the following electors chosen by the state's Democratic Party will cast their votes in the Electoral College:

• The Honorable Elizabeth Jane Beretta-Perik
• The Honorable James A. Diossa
• The Honorable Sabina Matos
• The Honorable Joseph Robert Paolino, Jr.