Donald Trump officially wins electoral votes needed

From 18 seats within the Ohio Senate chambers at the statehouse, the electors — including a Kettering councilman, a Centerville party member and Butler County’s cowboy hat-wearing sheriff — signed ballots in a ceremony usually conducted without the wild attention received nationally over past weeks.

After the Texas members of the Electoral College voted around 5 p.m. Monday, Trump and his running mate Indiana Gov. Mike Pence earned enough votes across the nation to secure victory.

RELATED: 10 things to know about the Electoral College

Ohio Gov. John Kasich did receive one electoral vote. Texas elector Chris Suprun of Dallas went against his state's popular vote choice and cast a vote for Kasich.

Ohio casts votes for Trump 

Outside the Ohio Statehouse, protesters clamored for a last-minute change of heart from the party leaders. The chants and jeers amplifying a host of letters, emails and calls received by electors since Trump’s victory, despite their being bound by law to adhere to the popular vote results. Trump won 51 percent of the vote in Ohio to Hillary Clinton’s 43 percent.

The Miami Valley received more representation than originally anticipated in the process due to a last-minute lawsuit against a northeast Ohio state legislator.

Kettering Councilman Rob Scott, the first person on Trump’s Ohio campaign staff and an alternate elector, replaced state Rep. Christina Hagan, R-Alliance, who said she was the subject of a surprise legal dispute from a former political rival.

Scott, co-chair of Trump's Ohio campaign, the founder of the Dayton Tea Party and a former Montgomery County Republican Party chair, said it was an honor to step in for Hagan.

“To actually see It happen and get those 18 electoral votes, it was great gratification for me,” Scott said.

READ MORE: How Rob Scott became a last-minute elector

Scott sat next to Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones, who reveled in his pro-immigration enforcement candidate’s victory. The sheriff represented the 8th District, which includes Clark, Butler, Miami, Preble, Darke and part of Mercer counties.

“You come up here, you have protesters — which is the American way, they have constitutional rights,” Jones said after casting his vote. “This is history in the making. I’ve never had to do this before — it felt good.”

READ MORE: Sheriff Jones said it was ‘an honor’ to vote for Trump

Asked whether Butler County’s top law enforcement officer had concerns about the CIA inquiry into Russian hacks of the U.S. elections, Jones said he has “none whatsoever.” Agency Director John Brennan said “there is strong consensus among us on the scope, nature, and intent of Russian interference in our presidential election,” according to the Associated Press.

RELATED: Local Electoral College voters asked to change votes

“All sour grapes,” Jones said. “The Russians and the Chinese have been hacking us since we’ve had computers and we’ve been hacking them.”

Protesters outside the statehouse 

Before the vote — and in sub-freezing conditions — about 200 protesters paced and chanted in dissent. The reported Russian interference was of concern to the protesters, including Bill Conner of Beavercreek.

“My sign says it: The man is a sociopath,” Conner said. “He’s cares about no one. He’s tied up with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.”

Andy Feeser, of Beavercreek, said Trump is “clearly unfit to run this country.”

“It’s a democracy and we’re here to express our opinion,” Feeser said. He added, “He is noted to lie on every issue … and the news media would never correct him and his lying.”

Kasich attended the ceremony run by Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted. Both men are Republicans in a state party still reeling from a bitter election season.

Perhaps most emblematic of the remaining internal division was the lukewarm applause for Kasich, who ran unsuccessfully against Trump in the primary before refusing to endorse him. Later, Ohio Treasurer and candidate for U.S. Senate Josh Mandel received a full standing ovation from the electors after deciding to toss his prepared remarks and “riff here freestyle.”

“We’re going to have a restoration of people believing what they want to believe in, saying what they want to say and calling it like it is and being comfortable to be who they are and proud to be Americans,” Mandel said before reflecting on the protesters.

“My hope is all these protesters outside and all those who did not cast their vote for Donald Trump come together,” Mandel said.

First-time elector Jim Dicke, who represented the 4th district including Champaign, Logan and Shelby counties, said some voters always are left unhappy in presidential years.

"But the way this country comes together and engages in an orderly transition of power and puts our trust in the process just really touches me," he said. "It's very special. I think this is a country like no other on Earth."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.