Nov. 4, 2008 – General Election: The voters in each state choose electors to serve in the Electoral College. As soon as election results are final, the states prepare seven or nine original “Certificates of Ascertainment” of the electors chosen, and send certified copies to the archivist of the United States.
Dec. 15, 2008 – Meeting of Electors: The electors in each state meet to select the president and vice president of the United States. The electors sign, seal and certify the packages of electoral votes and immediately send them to the president of the Senate, the archivist of the United States and other designated federal and state officials. Cable news station C-Span carries this voting process
Dec. 24, 2008 – Deadline for Receipt of Electoral Votes: The president of the Senate, the archivist of the United States, and other designated federal and state officials must have the electoral votes in hand.
Jan. 8, 2009 – Counting Electoral Votes in Congress: Public Law 110-430 changed the date of the electoral vote in Congress in 2009 from Jan. 6 to Jan. 8. This date change is effective only for the 2008 presidential election.
The Congress meets in joint session to count the electoral votes (unless Congress passes a law to change the date).
Courtesy U.S. National Archives and Records Administration: www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/index.html
