Meet the major players at PA’s 60th Electoral College meeting

The 60th Pennsylvania Electoral College meeting took place on Tuesday. Nineteen electors convened in Harrisburg to cast their votes for president and vice president, respectively. 

The 19 electors cast their ballots for Donald Trump for president and JD Vance for vice president – a key step in the peaceful transition to a new presidential administration that will officially take office in January 2025. 

Below, City & State provides a glimpse into some of the major figures involved with Pennsylvania’s Electoral College meeting, including members of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration, the state’s judiciary and the electors who cast ballots on Tuesday.

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt

Secretary of State Al Schmidt presided over the beginning of the Electoral College meeting before the electors chose officers for the remainder of the meeting. But before those elections took place, Schmidt took a moment to remind the electors of their important and historic role in Pennsylvania and U.S. history. 

“As the Constitutional Convention of 1787 concluded in Philadelphia, a woman in the crowd reportedly asked Benjamin Franklin, one of Pennsylvania's delegates, what sort of new government the Convention had created. Franklin responded, ‘A republic, if you can keep it.’” Schmidt said. “Today, you become part of a long history of keeping that republic by casting your votes for president and vice president based on the outcome of our recent election.”

Schmidt then walked those assembled through the next steps regarding Pennsylvania’s electoral votes: The results of the Electoral College meeting will be certified and sent to both the U.S. Congress and the National Archives. Then, during a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2025, Congress will formally count those votes. 

Then, at noon on Jan. 20, 2025, President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in as the country’s 47th president.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice P. Kevin Brobson

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Kevin Brobson was in attendance for the meeting on Tuesday. His primary role was to administer the oath of office to the electors present for the Electoral College meeting. 

The electors later had to sign their names on the oath of office as they deposited their votes into an official ballot box.

The Electors

A total of 19 electors were present in the chamber of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the Electoral College meeting. After Schmidt presided over the beginning of the meeting, the electors chose a president, vice president, and secretary for the remainder of the proceedings.  

The electors chose Pennsylvania GOP Chair Lawrence Tabas as president, Bucks County GOP Chair Patricia Poprik as vice president and Robin Lee Hoyt Medeiros as secretary. Tabas was a substitute elector who stood in for Samuel James Worthington Jr., who could not be in attendance due to the expected birth of his daughter. Tabas read prepared remarks from Worthington and spoke about Trump’s November victory. 

“President Trump is committed to being a president, not just for his committed supporters, but for all Americans, whether they cast their ballots for him or not. That means working to ensure that our streets and neighborhoods are safe, our border is secure, our economy is prosperous for all Americans – we reduce inflation, increase domestic energy production so we have affordable energy and eliminate wasteful government spending and needless regulation,” Tabas said. “We must use diplomacy and policies of peace through strength to calm a world that is on fire with conflict.” 

“As President Ronald Reagan famously said, government's first duty is to protect the people, not to run their lives. President Donald J. Trump understands that, and I am confident that he will make America great again for all Americans,” he added.

The full slate of electors at Tuesday’s meeting included: William Bachenberg, Vallerie Biancaniello, Curt Coccodrilli, Bernadette S. Comfort, Robert A. Gleason Jr., Joyce Haas, Fred Keller, Ash Khare, Jondavid Longo, Robin Lee Hoyt Medeiros, Rochelle Marie Pasquariello, Patricia K. Poprik, Andrew J. Reilly, Carol Lynne Ryan, Carla Sands, Lawrence Tabas, James “Jim” Vasilko, T. Lynette Villano and Christine A. Wilkins.