Iowa certifies 6 electoral votes for Trump, Vance

DES MOINES — Iowa officially awarded Tuesday the state’s six electoral votes to President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect U.S. Sen. JD Vance.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate joined the electors at the Iowa Capitol to certify the state’s electoral votes. This is the final step in the certification process before the votes are sent to the Office of the Federal Registrar. They then will be passed to Congress, where members from the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate will convene Jan. 6 to count the 538 electoral votes from across the country.

More than 1.6 million Iowans voted in the November election, with 55.73 percent casting their ballots for Republicans Trump and Vance, who carried 94 of 99 of the state’s counties.

Trump secured 312 electoral votes nationwide, while Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris received 226. A candidate needs 270 or more votes to win the presidency.

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“I want to first take some time this morning to specifically thank our local election officials who serve at the front lines of Iowa elections and play a critical role in keeping our elections safe, fair and accurate,” Pate said. “Iowans turned out strong to make their voices heard at the ballot box in the 2024 general election.”

Iowa has six presidential electors — one for every member of the state’s congressional delegation of four representatives and two senators. The presidential electors who cast ballots Tuesday were nominated earlier this year during the Republican Party of Iowa’s state and district conventions.

Presidential electors are required by Iowa law to cast ballots for the candidates who win the state’s popular vote.

This year’s electors are Merle Miller for the 1st Congressional District, Justin Wasson for the 2nd District, Jack Vanderflught for the 3rd District, Garrison Oppman for the 4th District and Leanne Pellet and Steve Scheffler as the at-large electors.

Wasson, of Cedar Rapids, is a longtime Republican volunteer and owns a pressure washing and chemical manufacturing company. He decided to run for the position this year and said that as a small-business owner, he feels optimistic about Trump’s second term.

“Since the law binds us to vote for the winners, I didn’t anticipate any controversy today, and we didn’t see any of that,” Wasson said. “I’m just really grateful for the support of the Republicans in my district who voted for me and offered me the opportunity. I’m excited for the next four years.”