the inauguration of the 46th president of the united states. our live coverage begins at 7:00 a.m. eastern. from the statehouse to congress to the white house, watch it all live on c-span, on the go at c-span.org, or listen using the free c-span radio app. listen to c-span's podcast "the weekly." zach smith joins us to discuss the race in iowa's second congressional district, called for marionette miller mix by six votes. the contest will be decided by the house of representatives. " wherespan's "the weekly you get your podcasts. next step, we take you to the peach state of georgia, to atlanta. that's where the state electors met today, casting votes for president-elect joe biden and

vice president-elect kamala harris. we will show you what happened. >> i am so honored to be with this group today -- >> i am so honored to be with his group today as we officially cast georgia's 16 electoral college votes for president-elect joe biden and vice president-elect kamala harris. georgians have a legacy of showing up and making our voices heard. we have proven to the nation that georgia is ready for big change. this election was not about lifting one voice or one candidate, but about lifting the voices of those who have so often been left behind who felt unheard and unseen in the political process. together, voters across georgia found their collective voice to permanently transform our state. this year, we broke records for voter turnout. communities across our state stood up and georgians elected a democratic president for the

first time in 28 years. 28 years, y'all. [applause] not only did we flip georgia blue and not only did we restore the soul of our nation, but we are sending the first black woman to the white house. what a historic moment. we have come so far. but this moment for georgia democrats is about the hard work and the belief and the power of georgia voters who made this day possible. this moment is for the voters who applied early for mail-in ballots and those who waited in line for hours to make sure their voices were heard. this moment is also for the voters who weren't quite sure that their vote would matter and who may have felt powerless but they showed about the polls anyway. today proves georgia voters are not powerless. georgia voters are very powerful and we are going to prove it again soon. as we stand here together about

to make history, we know that this result was not luck. it was thanks to the hard work of organizers, volunteers and voters across the state. this win was built through years of grassroots organizing and meeting where they are. we are reminding georgians of the power of their voice and vote, and years of fighting to make sure that every vote is counted. today shows that georgians are ready to turn the page of ignorance and inaction. georgians have known it for years, and now the nation knows that georgia is a blue state. [applause] despite the division we have seen in recent weeks, today, we will fulfill our constitutional duty and i am so honored to be part of this moment. i couldn't be more proud to cast my electoral college vote on behalf of georgia voters today. now, as your chairwoman of the democratic party of georgia,

i officially call this meeting to order. [applause] we will now have the administration of oath by superior court judge kimberly adams. >> good morning. let me try that again. good morning. i would like ask all of you to please stand in your place. that is the electors, of course. if each of you would please raise your right hand and repeat after me. i, please state your full name, having been elected by the voters of the electors of the state of georgia to the place and office of elector for president of the united states and vice president of the united states at an election legally had and held on november 3, 2020 do solemnly swear that i will be true and faithful unto the state

of georgia and that i will support the constitution and laws of the united states and the constitution and laws of the state of georgia, and will to the best of my ability faithfully and impartially discharge the duty of the aforesaid office according to law.

congratulations. thank you. [applause] >> we will now move forward with the election of the presiding officer and secretary for the meeting. are there any nominations? elector kathy will and has nominated stacey abrams to be presiding officer. a motion has been made and properly seconded. all those in favor, say aye for stacey abrams to be the presiding officer of this meeting today. any opposed? thank you. leader abrams, you are the presiding officer of our meeting today. [applause]

ms. abrams: thank you, congresswoman elect williams. and thank you to the body of electorss for having me today as you presiding officer. this has been a moment long time coming. we believe that we are in the right place at the right time. the first order of business is to elect a secretary for the meeting. do i have a motion? representative davis? >> [inaudible] ms. abrams: is there a second? wendy davis is properly nominated. steve hinton seconded the motion. are there any objections? all in favor, say aye. now elected as the secretary of this meeting. [applause] if you will now join me in welcoming the dean of the house

and the person who was here in 1980 when we did this before and in 1992 when we did it again, dean of the house, calvin smiley, will lead us with the invocation. >> thank you very much, leader abrams. it is great to see you and great to be your chairman. it is just a wonderful day. i'm overjoyed and excited about this opportunity to have been an elect or nine times and voted three times. jimmy carter, bill clinton, and now joe biden and kamala harris. it is a great day in georgia. i remember in 1980, around 800,000 voters. 1.2, now 2.4 million.

so, we have come a long, long way in georgia and we've got a lot to be proud for. this is a great day for georgia. great day for all of you here on this historic day. i'm glad to join you. this is the day that the lord has made. let us rejoice and be glad. shall we pray? heavenly father, we thank you for this day. we thank you for your many blessings and we ask that you bless this meeting and give us guidance and help today. that your wisdom fall upon us. thank you on behalf of of all who are gathered at the sound of my voice. thank you for your many and abundant blessings. we ask your prayer. we face circumstances beyond our control. we thank you for life, for a measure of health during this pandemic. for the need to fulfill our callings.

we are thankful for one another for the ability to do work and the honor to bear the ultimate responsibility as electors. thanks for the freedom to embrace you and for ever watching over us. and forever keeping a safe. i pray for our leaders and those we elect on this day. president-elect joe biden, vice president-elect kamala harris. i pray for our agenda today set before us. give us an assurance of what would please you and what would benefit those who live and work in our great state and nation. in your blessed name, i pray. amen. ms. abrams: i would now like to

recognize the chairman of south georgia, bobby hughes. he will lead us in the pledge of allegiance. [applause] >> good afternoon, democrats. madam presiding officer, madam chairman, democrats, ladies and gentlemen, please join me in the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. i thank you. ms. abrams: thank you so much. i now call upon our secretary who will read the certificate of ascertainment and call the roll. >> certificate of ascertainment. on november 3, 2020, the

following 16 people were appointed electors of president and vice president of the united states for the state of georgia. each receiving 2,473,633 votes. stacey abrams, gloria butler, wendy davis, bobby hughes, deborah gonzales, van r. johnson, pedro marine, ben myers, rachel talley, bob trammel jr., nikima williams, and kathy wallord. i have the great seal of georgia to be affixed at the capital of atlanta. this seventh day of november, governor brian kemp.

please state if you are present. stacey abrams. ms. abrams: present. >> gloria butler. >> present. >> wendy davis. bobby hughes jr. steven henson. van r. johnson. pedro marine. ben myers. rachel paly. calvin smiley. bob trammel, jr. i'm here. nikima williams. >> present. >> kathy wallard.

thank you very much. i'm pleased to report all 16 appointed electors are present. i want to take one moment to thank our alternate electors who are here to serve in case they are needed. helena reeves. bianca keaton. and jason estevez. thank you all. ms. abrams: thank you so much. when i was coming in today, i was on a phone call with my mother who grew up in

mississippi. she and my father raised us there, moved us here to georgia in 1989 when they were both called into the united methodist ministry. we lived in georgia from 1989. they moved back to mississippi in 1993. i state and attended college at spelman. i left for texas and then connecticut. i got to texas when they were electing george bush. got to connected when it went republican -- got to connecticut when it went republican. i got back in 1999. by 2002, the tides were

changing. 2004, 2006, i joined the house in 2006 and 2004, the house had gone republican. this is a moment for me that i had dreamed about because i realized i couldn't move again. i was born in wisconsin, grew up in mississippi and georgia, lived in texas and connecticut, but i planted my flag and feet here in georgia. i look around this move and i see people that not only planted their feet, but planted their

dreams in georgia. folks who have given up their time and their talent and their treasure to invest in the communities that they serve. when i go to south georgia, i know i cannot travel there without calling bobby first. if i am anywhere near middle georgia, miller's name has to come out of my mouth. if you go to savannah, you got to talk to van johnson but what he's doing for his city. i know where my parents lived in still not, they were well resented by steve hinton. when rural georgia needed a voice, they got wendy davis. when the senate needed a new leader, it got gloria butler. we know he was our attorney at the house when we were fighting for good. i know when we need a good man who understands labor and power, we look to ben myers. when i served in the house, i was privileged to help elect new people. i saw bob trammel come up. when i was working to elect other folks, the young dems were a powerhouse and that brought me to rachel. we need a new voice in athens to make sure justice rings out and we've got deborah gonzales. when i was at the city of atlanta watching new things unfold, there was kathy willard. you cannot make a decision in the georgia assembly without consulting the dean of the house. i name each of you because each of you have claimed the state as your own. more importantly, you claimed the people as your own. but moving forward from dream to reality requires a force of nature and a leadership that is unparalleled, and that is why i am so proud of my friend nikima williams, who was a state senator, a congresswoman elect, and the chair of our party. when we think about building a state, we've got to think about more than who we used to be. we've got to think of who we will become and that has been the charge given to me by pedro marine, who speaks up for those who have not always been seen in our conversation, but he ensures they are heard in our decisions.

we stand not for ourselves and not for our parties, but for the people of georgia. it is on their behalf that we took up this charge to be electors. we are ensuring that the nation is led by a good man who believes in the soul of our nation and in all of its people. it is on their behalf that we come together today to cast our votes for joseph r. biden and kamala debbie harris. it is for them, the people of georgia, that i say today we are electors, but we are also servants. servants of a better georgia. servants of a better future. and servants of the united states of america. we will now cast our ballots for the president of the united states. [applause] the ballots for president will be distributed to each of the electors. please complete your ballot once you receive it. upon completion, your ballot

will be collected. afterwards, i will confirm your vote with each of you via roll call. ms. abrams: the ballots have been reviewed and transmitted. as i call your name, please state the name of the person you cast your vote for president.

i will start by saying that i cast my vote for president joe biden.

gloria butler. >> joe biden.

ms. abrams: wendy davis. >> i cast my vote for joe biden. ms. abrams: bobby fuest.

>> i cast my vote for president joe biden. ms. abrams: deborah gonzales. >> [inaudible] ms. abrams: steve henson. >> [inaudible] ms. abrams: van johnson. >> joe biden. ms. abrams: pedro marine. >> i cast my vote for president joe biden. ms. abrams: miller. >> [inaudible] ms. abrams: ben myers. >> i cast my vote for president joe biden. ms. abrams: rachel pauley.

>> [inaudible] ms. abrams: calvin smiley. bob trammel. >> joe biden. >> president joe biden. ms. abrams: nikima williams. >> i cast my vote for president joe biden. ms. abrams: kathy willard. >> [inaudible] ms. abrams: i am pleased to announce that joseph r. biden has received 16 votes for president of the united states. [applause] we will now cast our ballots for

vice president of the united states. the ballots for vice president will be distributed to each of the electors. please complete your ballot once you receive it. upon completion, your ballots will be collected and provided to our secretary for review. afterwards, i will confirm your vote with each of you via a roll call vote.

ms. abrams: as i call your name, please state the name of the person for whom you cast your vote for vice president. i cast my vote for kamala harris. gloria butler. >> i cast my vote for kamala harris. ms. abrams: wendy davis. >> i cast my vote for kamala

harris. ms. abrams: bobby fuse. >> i cast my vote for kamala harris. ms. abrams: deborah gonzalez. sen. wyden: -- >> [indiscernible] ms. abrams: steve henson. >> [indiscernible] ms. abrams: calvin smyre. >> [indiscernible] ms. abrams: van johnson. >> i proudly cast my vote for vice president kamala harris. ms. abrams: pedro marin. >> [indiscernible] fenika miller. >> [indiscernible] ms. abrams: ben myers. >> i cast my vote for kamala harris. ms. abrams: rachel paule.

>> i cast my vote for kamala harris. ms. abrams: bob trammell. >> i cast my vote for vice president kamala harris. ms. abrams: sachin varghese. >> [indiscernible] nikema williams. >> i proudly cast my vote for vice president kamala harris. ms. abrams: cathy woolard. >> [indiscernible] ms. abrams: i am pleased to announce that kamala d. harris has received 16 votes for vice president of the united states. [applause] do i have a motion that the providing officer and secretary be direct did and authorized to prepare their significant of votes for the 2020 presidential election in georgia?

i hear a motion from calvin smyre and a second from pedro marin. any objections? all in favor say aye, no opposed. the motion carries. a copy of the vote will be distributed to each of you. please review it when you receive it. is that what is currently sitting on the desks? we will now pass out copies of the certificate of vote. these are being distributed and i will read aloud.

state of georgia presidential electoral college certificate of votes. we, the undersigned, being the duly elected and qualified electors of president and vice president of america from the state of georgia, as set forward in the attached certificate of ascertainment and referred to in this certificate as 2020 georgia electors, affirm the following. a, that electors convened at the state capital in the city of atlanta, county of fulton, georgia, at 12 noon on december 14, 2020, as set forth in the laws of the united states of america and the state of georgia. b, that stacey abrams presided and sachin varghese served as a secretary. that the electors voted for president and vice president by distinct balance.

d, that the undersigned 2020 georgia electors cast each of their respective ballots for president of the united states as follows. the name of persons voted for, joseph r. biden of delaware, number of votes received, 16. that the undersigned electors cast their votes for the vice president of the united states as follows. name of person voted for, kamala d. harris of the state of california. number of votes, 16. the duly elected and qualified electors of the president and vice president of the united states of america, stacey abrams, gloria butler, wendy davis, deborah gonzalez, pedro marin, fenika miller, bob trammell, ben myers, cathy woolard. do i have a motion to approve

the certificate of vote for the 2020 electors from georgia? is there a second? motion was properly moved by williams and seconded by miller. the motion carries. each elector will now execute each of the six original duplicates of the certificate of vote. so what will happen now is each person will receive an opportunity to sign the six copies.

ms. abrams: to call this meeting back to order. take note of this you can get the rest of your signatures. we have got a few more items of business to take care of. while you all are taking your seats, i will deliver the vice presidential ballots, so by the time i am back, everyone should be seated. thank you so much. we are now moving to the motion to transmit. do i have a motion to transmit the vote of 2020 electors and ascertainment to the officials as required by law to the officials of the united states? [laughter]

ms. abrams: i heard a motion from ben myers and a very enthusiastic second from pedro marin. all in favor to say aye. all opposed. motion carries. do i have a motion that the secretary be authorized to prepare the minutes of this meeting? i hear a motion from van johnson and a second from rachel paule. i will now call upon the secretary to read the minutes. >> minutes of the meeting of georgia electors, december 14, 2020, meeting at 12 noon.

at noon on december 14, 2020, fekima williams called a meeting of the electors. the electors elected elector stacey abrams as the chair of the meeting. sachin varghese was elected secretary. elector bobby fuse jr. called the pledge of allegiance. 16 as follows. stacey abrams, gloria butler, wendy davis, deborah gonzalez, van johnson, fenika miller, rachel paule, bob trammell junior, sachin varghese, nikema williams, cathy woolard. all 16 electors cast their ballots for joseph r. biden for president of the united states. the votes for vice president of the united states were tabulated and cast. all 16 electors cast their ballots for kamala harris. a motion was made and passed unanimously authorizing the secretary to prepare the

certificate of vote for the 2020 georgia electors. it passed unanimously approving the certificate of vote and the originals were signed by the electors. a motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously to require the number of certificates of votes. minutes of the meeting and all other required documentation to appropriate government officials as directed by law and the archivist of the united states. a vote was made, seconded, and passed unanimously providing the secretary to provide the minutes of the meeting.

the secretary read the minutes. ms. abrams: do i have a motion to approve the minutes of the 2020 meeting of the georgia electors? we have a motion from deborah gonzalez and a second from gloria butler. all in favor say aye. all opposed. motion carries. we have now cast 16 electoral college votes on behalf of the state of georgia for joseph r

biden as president of the united states and 16 electoral college votes on behalf of the state of georgia for kamala d. harris as vice president of the united states. [applause] as we do so, we do so in a time of difficulty for our nation. we are in the midst of a pandemic. we are facing both public health and economic challenges. we have the promise of a vaccine and of a new administration. but while we wait for that to take place, we still have to grapple with racial injustice and a reckoning over who we intend to be as a nation. we have to wonder and worry about those who find themselves just hanging on, hoping that salvation is near. but we know that we do not elect saviors in this country. we elect servants who promised to be leaders, who promised to see all of us, serve all of us. we elect men and women of courage but men and women who will make mistakes.

we are here today to cast our lot in with joseph r. biden and kamala d. harris, but i ask is also to cast our prayers. we need leaders who are willing to go into the rough places and smooth out the edges, go into the tight corners and carve out more space. we demand in this moment leadership of moral character that is willing to admit moral fallibility. we need leaders who believe in us. this is not a moment of partisanship. this is a moment of patriotism. because we came together to do something that has been done time and again immemorial for

more than 200 years. and because we are, there is a united states of america. i want to thank each of you for your service in this moment. your service that brought you to this space. and for all the people on behalf of whom you speak. but i also want to say thank you to those who are not in this space and do not see themselves as part of this moment. you are americans. you too deserve to be served. you too deserve to be supported. you too deserve a leader who sees us all. it is on behalf of the incoming president of the united states who says that he may be a

democrat but he intends to be the president of all of these united states that i say thank you to georgia for allowing us to speak on your behalf and usher in the next administration. thank you very much. [applause] since you are all standing, i would like to ask if there is a motion to adjourn the 2020 meeting of the georgia electors? i am going to recognize calvin smyre for the motion and the very enthusiastic waving of gloria butler for the second. are there any objections? >> [inaudible] ms. abrams: so moved. all in favor, saying aye.

all opposed. the motion carries. we are adjourned. thank you. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2020] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] journal,'s washington every day. we are taking your calls on the andon the news of the day discussing policy issues that impact you. coming up tuesday morning, economic policy institute senior economist talks about how the pandemic has affected american's workforce -- america's workforce and how robust covid-19 financial relief measures are needed and then author and washington times national security correspondent bill gertz with the latest on the investigation of eric swalwell's reported tieto