New Hampshire Casts Its 4 Electoral Votes For Biden, Harris
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire cast its four Electoral College votes for Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Monday in a ceremony that combined historic touches with modern technology that wasn't quite up to the task.
The electors were former Senate President Donna Soucy, former House Speaker Steve Shurtleff, Somersworth Mayor Dana Hilliard and longtime Biden friend Mary Carey Foley. The ceremony at the Statehouse was closed to the public because of the coronavirus. They met in the Executive Council chamber where electors have cast ballots for more than a century, but in order to maintain social distancing, only three of the four could fit at the table, with Hilliard off to the side.
Soucy praised Biden as a man who has lived his life with integrity through tragedy and Harris as an inspiration for girls across the country.
"What she represents for our country is unfathomable," Soucy said.
The event was livestreamed, though technical glitches meant that the bulk of the speeches were inaudible. Low-tech elements, including sealing the ballots in an envelope with wax saved from past years, went more smoothly.
The group was led in the pledge of allegiance by Brayden Harrington, a 13-year-old Concord boy who delivered a moving speech at the Democratic National Convention in August about the struggle with stuttering he shares with Biden.
Monday's ceremony capped a long campaign season that started well before the state's Feb. 11 presidential primary in which Biden placed fifth on the Democratic side. In the Nov. 3 general election, Biden defeated Trump in the state with 424,921 votes to 365,654.
In welcoming the electors, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu also praised state and local election officials for ensuring a successful election in a pandemic.
"It happened so well, and with such integrity," he said. "Our system works, and it's not just a nice tradition, it's on the back of a hundred years of a lot of hard work."
(© Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
