Today is the day that electors are gathering in state capitals across the country to cast their electoral votes for president and vice president. We don’t really think about it, but when we pull the lever for a presidential ticket, we’re actually pulling the lever for that candidate’s electors. So today is just another big formal step toward the election of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

From Newsday.com:

Gov. David Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm Smith, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and Alan Lubin, the executive vice president of the New York State United Teachers union, are among the electors voting for Barack Obama.

Obama won about 62 percent of New York’s popular vote in last month’s general election. The largely ceremonial procedure is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. The popular vote winner in New York wins all its electoral votes.

After all of the votes are cast, each state will send their official report for the electoral vote results to the President of the US Senate, Dick Cheney. On Thursday, January 8th, a joint session of Congress will tally all of the electoral votes from all 50 states and DC. If one candidate has a majority (Obama in this case), a winner will be declared. Twelve days later, Barack Obama will take the oath of office and will become the 44th President of the United States.

Related posts:

1. Maryland to bypass Electoral College
2. Obama now getting involved in the New York Senate fight
3. New York in play? Doubtful.
4. Obama up by 17% in New York
5. Obama ahead by 19% in New York