SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg will be one of California's 55 presidential electors casting a vote for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris when the Electoral College meets Monday at the California Capitol.
Steinberg said he received an Electoral College appointment from Senator Dianne Feinstein. Under California's election laws, for the Democratic Party each Senate and Congressional district nominee get to select an elector.
“It feels great not only because this is important for our democracy, but… I know the people," he said. "I worked with Vice President-Elect Harris when I was in the Senate, and we worked on so many things together. I’m just so awed of what she has accomplished."
Steinberg told ABC10 Sunday that he considers casting an electoral vote as part of a peaceful transition of power in the United States democracy.
“In this case, in 2020, President Trump has done everything in his power, in my opinion, to sully our democracy," Steinberg said.
For the mayor, it's not about the lawsuits related to the election, it's about the president saying that the election was illegitimate.
“That harms our democracy," Steinberg said. "It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, what you believe or who you’re for – that democracy and that peaceful transition of power matters. And tomorrow will be, I think, a display in a positive way of what it means to gather and respect the will of the people.”
His vote would also indirectly further the political journey of Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who was chosen by the President-elect to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
"To see Californians rise to these ranks of national leadership will make tomorrow even more special,” Steinberg said.
He criticized the federal response to COVID-19 and said that the new administration will include people from California "who know the way and know how to get things done."
The electoral vote is just the latest step in following through with the election results. Beyond the polls closing on election night, the race calls, and certifications of the vote, the electoral college will have to formally cast their votes and have them counted by Congress. In January, a new president can be inaugurated.
“Usually, they are without controversy because we always in our country have respect and what’s so troubling about this year is that the losing candidate has made it clear in every way that he does not respect the will of the people," Steinberg said.
"Tomorrow, we will be able to push back, if you will, in a peaceful way, and to say to the people that the democracy works,” he added.
For more on the electoral college process, click HERE.
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