TOPEKA, Kan. — Republican party officials picked to serve as Kansas members of the Electoral College have cast the state’s six electoral votes for President Donald Trump.
Electors met in the Kansas House of Representatives chamber on Monday. Secretary of State Scott Schwab presided over the meeting.
The Kansas electoral college met today to cast ballots for President and Vice President for the 2020 election. All 6 unanimous for President Donald Trump and VP Mike Pence. @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/9CchsAD4Zo
— Sarah Plake (@SarahPlakeTV) December 14, 2020
They cast their votes for President Donald Trump first, then Vice President Mike Pence.
The six people were chosen to represent Kansas votes.
"Our vote is genuine and our representation is genuine, so I don't think there's anything to worry about why are we voting this way," Helen Van Etten, an elector, said.
Mike Kuckelman, elector and chair of the Kansas Republican Party, said casting one of six votes for Trump and Pence was a "once in a lifetime experience."
Trump and Pence garnered 56% of votes in Kansas, while the Democratic ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris received 42% of the vote.
Those results allowed the meeting to end with no controversy.
"We're dealing with six electoral votes. That's six ballots, so pretty easy to count," Schwab said. "We want folks to know we're not changing anything; we're not going back there with whiteout or anything."
The election has been clouded in unfounded fraud accusations. Just last week the Supreme Court rejected a Texas lawsuit challenging Biden's victory.
Kuckelman said he hoped Trump would win in the end, which did not happen.
"Kansas doesn't have the final say.," Kuckelman said. "We have cast our votes. I think the Supreme Court, in denying the case last Friday, made that clear that really it's a state-by-state issue and they have to sort out their votes."
The meeting was open to the public. Afterward, the members signed papers certifying their vote.
The members will be paid $3 for representing the electoral college.
The ballots are sent to the National Archives. From there, they'll go to Congress, where they'll be counted in January.
Kansas has supported the Republican candidate in 14 consecutive presidential elections and 20 of the last 21. The only Democrat to win the state since Franklin D. Roosevelt's second bid in 1936 was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.
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41 Action News staff contributed to this report. Our station is committed to providing comprehensive information on the 2020 primary and general elections with an emphasis on several key issues — the economy, the COVID-19 pandemic and race relations. Count on us to provide news and information to help you make an informed choice at the polls.