Congress on Friday officially confirmed President Obama's reelection victory in November by formally counting the Electoral College ballots.
That count certified Obama's 332-206 win over GOP candidate Mitt Romney.
Vice President Biden presided over the joint session of the House and Senate in the House chamber, which started shortly after 1 p.m. Biden handed certificates on the electoral votes of each state to members of the House and Senate, who read their results aloud to the chamber.
Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) served as readers from the Senate, and Reps. Robert Brady (D-Pa.) and Candice Miller (R-Mich.) served as readers from the House.
After receiving the vote totals, Biden read them out and declared that his announcement "shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons elected president and vice president of the United States, each for the term beginning on the 20th day of January, 2013."
The official count in Congress is required by the Constitution, and happens every four years in the January following an election.
Soon after the vote, the House adjourned until Jan. 14.
