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At 1:01 p.m., the Majority Floor Services Chief, Barry Sullivan, announced the Vice President and the Senate of the United States.
The Senate entered the Hall of the House of Representatives, headed by the Vice President and the Secretary of the Senate, the Members and officers of the House rising to receive them.
The Vice President took his seat as the Presiding Officer of the joint convention of the two Houses, the Speaker of the House occupying the chair on his left. Senators took seats to the right of the rostrum as prescribed by law.
The joint session was called to order by the Vice President.
The VICE PRESIDENT. Madam Speaker and Members of Congress, pursuant to the Constitution and laws of the United States, the Senate and House of Representatives are meeting in joint session to verify the certificates and count the votes of the electors of the several States for President and Vice President of the United States.
After ascertainment has been had that the certificates are authentic and correct in form, the tellers will count and make a list of the votes cast by the electors of the several States.
The tellers on the part of the two Houses will take their places at the clerk's desk.
The tellers, Mr. Schumer and Mr. Bennett on the part of the Senate, and Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania and Mr. Daniel E. Lungren of California on the part of the House, took their places at the desk.
The VICE PRESIDENT. Without objection, the tellers will dispense with reading formal portions of the certificates. After ascertaining that certificates are regular in form and authentic, the tellers will announce the votes cast by the electors for each State, beginning with Alabama.
The tellers then proceeded to read, count, and announce the electoral votes of the several States in alphabetical order.
The VICE PRESIDENT. Members of Congress, the certificates having been read, the tellers will ascertain and deliver the result to the President of the Senate.
The tellers delivered to the President of the Senate the following statement of results:
JOINT SESSION TO COUNT ELECTORAL VOTES, THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009
| Electoral votes of each State | For President | For Vice President | ||
| Barack Obama | John McCain | Joseph Biden | Sarah Palin | |
| Alabama--9 |
9 | 9 | ||
| Alaska--3 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Arizona--10 | 10 | 10 | ||
| Arkansas--6 | 6 | 6 | ||
| California--55 | 55 | 55 | ||
| Colorado--9 | 9 | 9 | ||
| Connecticut--7 | 7 | 7 | ||
| Delaware--3 | 3 | 3 | ||
| District of Columbia--3 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Florida--27 | 27 | 27 | ||
| Georgia--15 | 15 | 15 | ||
| Hawaii--4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Idaho--4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Illinois--21 | 21 | 21 | ||
| Indiana--11 | 11 | 11 | ||
| Iowa--7 | 7 | 7 | ||
| Kansas--6 | 6 | 6 | ||
| Kentucky--8 | 8 | 8 | ||
| Louisiana--9 | 9 | 9 | ||
| Maine--4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Maryland--10 | 10 | 10 | ||
| Massachusetts--12 | 12 | 12 | ||
| Michigan--17 | 17 | 17 | ||
| Minnesota--10 | 10 | 10 | ||
| Mississippi--6 | 6 | 6 | ||
| Missouri--11 | 11 | 11 | ||
| Montana--3 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Nebraska--5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Nevada--5 | 5 | 5 | ||
| New Hampshire--4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| New Jersey--15 | 15 | 15 | ||
| New Mexico--5 | 5 | 5 | ||
| New York--31 | 31 | 31 | ||
| North Carolina--15 | 15 | 15 | ||
| North Dakota--3 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Ohio--20 | 20 | 20 | ||
| Oklahoma--7 | 7 | 7 | ||
| Oregon--7 | 7 | 7 | ||
| Pennsylvania--21 | 21 | 21 | ||
| Rhode Island--4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| South Carolina--8 | 8 | 8 | ||
| South Dakota--3 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Tennessee--11 | 11 | 11 | ||
| Texas--34 | 34 | 34 | ||
| Utah--5 | 5 | 5 | ||
| Vermont--3 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Virginia--13 | 13 | 13 | ||
| Washington--11 | 11 | 11 | ||
| West Virginia--5 | 5 | 5 | ||
| Wisconsin--10 | 10 | 10 | ||
| Wyoming--3 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Total--538 | ||||
Charles E. Schumer,
Robert F. Bennett,
Tellers on the part of the Senate.
The VICE PRESIDENT. The state of the vote for President of the United States, as delivered to the President of the Senate, is as follows:
The whole number of the electors appointed to vote for President of the United States is 538, of which a majority is 270.
Barack Obama of the State of Illinois has received for President of the United States 365 votes.
John McCain of the State of Arizona has received 173 votes.
The state of the vote for Vice President of the United States, as delivered to the President of the Senate, is as follows:
The whole number of the electors appointed to vote for Vice President of the United States is 538, of which a majority is 270.
Joe Biden of the State of Delaware has received for Vice President of the United States 365 votes.
Sarah Palin of the State of Alaska has received 173 votes.
This announcement of the state of the vote by the President of the Senate shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons elected President and Vice President of the United States each for the term beginning on the 20th day of January, 2009, and shall be entered, together with the list of the votes, on the Journals of the Senate and House of Representatives.
The purpose of the joint session having been concluded, pursuant to Senate Concurrent Resolution 1, 111th Congress, the Chair declares the joint session dissolved.
(Thereupon, at 1 o'clock and 36 minutes p.m., the joint session of the two Houses of Congress dissolved.)
The SPEAKER. Pursuant to Senate Concurrent Resolution 1, 111th Congress, the electoral vote will be spread at large upon the Journal.