Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- As required by state law, members of Utah's Electoral College cast their five presidential votes Monday for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
The five Republican electors unanimously voted for McCain in the Supreme Court chambers at the state Capitol. The electors also unanimously voted for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for vice president.
Similar votes were taking place in the other 49 states and the District of Columbia. While some states held large celebrations to mark the historic occasion of electing the nation's first black president, Utah's ceremony attracted only about two dozen observers, most of whom were news reporters or staff in the Lieutenant Governor's Office, which administers elections.
The entire ceremony took about 10 minutes and President-elect Barack Obama was not mentioned once.
Based on the Nov. 4 vote, the total tally is expected to be 365 for Obama to 173 for McCain.
Utah has a winner-take-all system in presidential elections and state law forbids electors from changing their votes.
McCain was heavily favored to win Utah's five electoral votes after winning the Republican nomination. He won the popular vote in state in November with 62 percent of the vote.
The Republican electors were Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, state GOP Chairman Stan Lockhart, former congresswoman Enid Greene Mickelsen, former state party chairman Richard Snelgrove and former Utah Republican Party executive director Scott Simpson.
The results now go to Washington, D.C., for a joint session of Congress on Jan. 8 to officially count ballots.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
