Election 2024: Secretary of State prepares for Illinois electoral college vote Tuesday

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Illinois electors will meet at the state capitol Tuesday to cast their vote for president and vice president. Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said this is the next major step before all of the electoral votes are counted by Congress.

The November election is well behind us and the Illinois State Board of Elections certified the state's results earlier this month.

"As Secretary of State, our office is tasked with the unique role of certifying our electoral college vote for president and vice president, a process that up until four years ago didn't receive much attention," Giannoulias said Monday.

The 19 electors represent each of the state's congressional districts and two U.S. Senate seats. Illinois is a winner takes all state, meaning the political party that won the popular vote takes all 19 of the state's electoral college votes.

"While Kamala Harris and Tim Walz did not win every Illinois constitutional district, they will receive the votes from all 19 Democratic electors because their ticket won the overall vote total in Illinois," Giannoulias said.

Federal law mandates that every state must convene their electors on the same date. Illinois also requires all electors to pledge to vote for their party's candidate or be replaced by an alternate. Certified copies of the votes will be sent to the President of the U.S. Senate.

"The president of the Senate will open our states voting during a joint session of Congress on January 6 after the new Congress is sworn in," Giannoulias said. "Once these votes are counted, the new president and vice president are officially announced and inaugurated into office."

Giannoulias noted that it is important his office is transparent about the electoral college process to counter misinformation.