Hillary Clinton calls for Electoral College to be abolished after casting first vote in New York for Biden

Following 2016 loss, former Democratic presidential candidate casts first vote in New York as electors affirm Trump’s loss

Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton – among New York members of the Electoral College – cast the state’s first electoral vote for Joe Biden.

The former US Senator was joined by former president Bill Clinton and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who are both among the state’s 29 electors to cast their ballots on 14 December, as the voting body across the US formally selects the winning presidential candidate. The governor also is president of the state’s electoral college. The state’s 29 electoral votes were awarded to Mr Biden.

Following her vote, Ms Clinton renewed her call for the dissolution of the Electoral College, with the winner of the presidential election determined by a popular vote.

“I believe we should abolish the Electoral College and select our president by the winner of the popular vote, same as every other office,” she said in a post on social media. 

“But while it still exists, I was proud to cast my vote in New York for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” she said.

Following the general election in November, electors convene in their respective states to cast their ballots, which are then counted by the President of the Senate in a joint session of Congress.

There are electors relative to the number of members of the House of Representatives and Senators in each state, plus three electors for Washington DC. A winning candidate must receive at least 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.

Ms Clinton cast her ballot four years after the president won the 2016 race, though she is among electors who will deliver the likely final blow to the president’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Stacey Abrams, whose voter registration and organising efforts in Georgia helped flip the state to a Democratic presidential win for the first time since 1992, also cast a ballot as a member of that state’s Electoral College. The state’s 16 electoral votes went to Mr Biden.