President Barack Obama waves as he walks on stage with first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha at his election night party Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012, in Chicago. President Obama defeated Republican challenger former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.WASHINGTON - It's official. A tally of the Electoral College vote affirms President Barack Obama's re-election.
Vice President Joe Biden presided over a Joint Session of Congress Friday as four members of the House and Senate took turns announcing the votes that had been tallied in state capitals last month. Their count showed Obama capturing 332 electoral votes, far more than the 270 required to win the presidency, to 206 for Republican Mitt Romney.
The constitutional formality certifying the vote lacked the suspense of the November election but kept with tradition. The results also affirmed Biden as vice president.
The final official vote from all 50 states and the District of Columbia showed Obama with 65,899,660 votes, or 51.1 percent, and Romney with 60,932,152 votes, or 47.2 percent.
Obama will be sworn in later this month.