Tennessee's 11 presidential electors cast their ballots for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and vice presidential candidate Mike Pence on Monday.
The electors were required by state law to vote for Donald Trump and Mike Pence, who overwhelmingly carried Tennessee in November with more than 60% of the popular vote in Tennessee.
Votes for president have been announced. All 11 electors voted, and the voted for @realDonaldTrump. @NC5 pic.twitter.com/YIjU8cAjlF
— Jesse Knutson (@NC5_JKnutson) December 19, 2016
Electors said they received tens of thousands of emails prior to the vote on Monday urging them to change their votes away from Trump and Pence.
“I spent three and a half, four hours, cleaning them (the emails) out," Beth Scott Clayton Amos, one of the electors said, adding that she also received "thousands of letters, packages delivered, many inappropriate things said, and I’m being incredibly polite.”
While the vote was being cast, one member from the gallery started to read scripture, but was asked to stop. Following the vote, other members of the gallery screamed out in opposition to Trump, but the votes had already been cast and there were no changes that could have been made.
Governor Bill Haslam weighed in on the situation following the vote. “While some people don’t like the result, and obviously we had protestors today who didn’t like that, ultimately, you have to love the process that we’re apart of in this country. It’s the best process there is and I’m incredibly supportive and thankful for the people that served as electors today.”
While the vote happened inside, protesters held a rally at Legislative plaza. Similar rallies and protests happened around the country.
The ballots from Tennessee electors will be sent to Washington D.C. where they will be officially tallied in front of the legislature on the first Friday of January, and also sent to the National Archives to be filed.
The presidential inauguration is set for January 20th. Trump reached that number. He released the following statement:
"Today marks a historic electoral landslide victory in our nation's democracy. I thank the American people for their overwhelming vote to elect me as their next President of the United States. The official votes cast by the Electoral College exceeded the 270 required to secure the presidency by a very large margin, far greater than ever anticipated by the media. This election represents a movement that millions of hard working men and women all across the country stood behind and made possible. With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead. I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans. Together, we will make America great again.”
