ATLANTA (WSAV/AP) – Georgia’s 16 Electoral College votes have been cast for Democrat Joe Biden for president.
The state’s Democratic electors, including Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, met in the state Senate chamber on Monday.
Led by former candidate for governor Stacey Abrams, the electors each marked a paper ballot that was then collected, counted and confirmed by a voice roll call.
The electors, which included several state lawmakers and Democratic activists, were all wearing face masks.
Members of Georgia’s Electoral College are sworn in before casting their votes at the state Capitol, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, Pool) 
Democrat Stacey Abrams, walks on Senate floor before of members of Georgia’s Electoral College cast their votes at the state Capitol, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, Pool) 
Congresswoman-Elect Nikema Williams speaks before members of Georgia’s Electoral College cast their votes at the state Capitol, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, Pool) 
The presiding secretary hands ballots to Stacey Abrams as members of Georgia’s Electoral College cast their votes at the state Capitol, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, Pool) 
An alternate slate of electors nominated by the Republican Party of Georgia cast their own electoral votes for President Donald Trump Vice President Mike Pence at the Georgia State Capitol on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020 at the same time the official Democratic electors were casting their votes for Vice President Joe Biden in another part of the Capitol. By choosing an alternate slate, Republicans hope to have those votes counted for Trump if a court rules in their favor, or if Congress chooses to accept the Republican electors. (AP Photo/Ben Gray) 
An alternate slate of electors nominated by the Republican Party of Georgia cast their own electoral votes for President Donald Trump Vice President Mike Pence at the Georgia State Capitol on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020 at the same time the official Democratic electors were casting their votes for Vice President Joe Biden in another part of the Capitol. By choosing an alternate slate, Republicans hope to have those votes counted for Trump if a court rules in their favor, or if Congress chooses to accept the Republican electors. (AP Photo/Ben Gray) 
An alternate slate of electors nominated by the Republican Party of Georgia cast their own electoral votes for President Donald Trump Vice President Mike Pence at the Georgia State Capitol on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020 at the same time the official Democratic electors were casting their votes for Vice President Joe Biden in another part of the Capitol. By choosing an alternate slate, Republicans hope to have those votes counted for Trump if a court rules in their favor, or if Congress chooses to accept the Republican electors. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)
The vote formally seals Biden’s win in Georgia, the battleground state where he beat President Donald Trump by about 12,000 votes.
“What a year this has been and in a sea of states that maintain the status quo,” Johnson said in a recent interview with News 3. “Georgia showed an independent mind, and so for me, that’s certainly exciting because I know Savannah and Chatham County figured prominently in this process,” Johnson said.
The Republicans chosen to be electors if Trump won met in a committee room downstairs and cast their votes for Trump, but they are not official.
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