A terminally ill state elector was filmed breaking down in tears as he cast his vote for President-Elect Joe Biden.

On Monday (December 14), Jack Arends cast his Electoral College vote for Joe Biden, and in the 90-minute car ride to the Washington state capitol in Olympia, he drafted a statement for those in attendance.

"[In] November, I was told there is no more medical treatment that can help me," he went on to tell the socially distanced group. "So it was important for me to do this one thing that I could do while I still can."

"Thank you, and God bless our great country," Arends said.

When he finished speaking, he let his head fall into his arms, and the room erupted into applause.

Watch Arends choke up as he casts his vote: 

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"As I was reading the statement, many things came to mind about the experience with my family and what it had been like the last four years - it just overcame me," Arends said in an interview with PEOPLE about his speech which has garnered thousands of views online.

Arends explained that countless people reached out to him in the hours following his speech - family, friends, and even his old college roommate.

"I think I said something a lot of people were thinking," Arends said. "People were ready for him [Donald Trump] to go."

Arends joined the Democratic Party in 1999, and he was a precinct committee officer for two decades before his ailing health forced him to retire. However, since then, he has remained active in state politics.

He was selected to serve as one of Biden's state electors after receiving support from the district of Sonomish County, which put him alongside 537 others at the front of American democracy this week, PEOPLE reports.

Arends' joy at being selected as an elector, however, was overshadowed by concerns about his ailing health.

"I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know what," he said. "I thought, I've gotta [be an elector] this year or I'm not going to be able to do it at all."

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A day after he was selected to serve in the electoral college for Biden and Harris, he received a life-changing call from his cardiologist.

"We have detected some abnormalities with your heart and would like to do a valve replacement," they told him, Arends recalled.

"On Nov. 9, they said could not operate on what was left, and my condition would ultimately decline to the point that I would die," he said.

However, despite this devastating news, Arends was determined to make a bold statement with the time he has left.

"It was a combination of wanting to do something tangible, to push back on what's been going on and do one last act of advocacy before I die," he said.

"We're getting away from the values we supposedly hold dear as a country," he said.

He said it was "incredibly gratifying" to be among those who helped affirm Biden's win.

"I wasn't a big shot by any means, but we all have the power to alter the [future]," he told PEOPLE. "I'm glad that I followed my instincts and I'd do it again. No regrets. Our country's too important."

President-elect Joe Biden has excoriated Donald Trump over his refusal to concede in a scathing attack that came hours after the Electoral College officially sealed Biden's victory.

Per NBC News, Biden said the election, which Trump and his supporters have attempted to overturn with numerous failed legal challenges, was "honest, free and fair."

Watch as Trump teases a run in 2024 at the White House Christmas party:

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Calling attacks on the election and election officials "simply unconscionable," Biden described Trump's attempts to overturn the result of the presidential election an "abuse of power."

"In America, politicians don't take power — the people grant it to them," Biden said. "The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know that nothing, not even a pandemic — or an abuse of power — can extinguish that flame."

"In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed," He continued.

"We the people voted. Faith in our institutions held. The integrity of our elections remains intact. And so, now it is time to turn the page. To unite. To heal." 

The Democrat once again vowed to be a president "for all Americans", telling America that his priorities were "delivering immediate economic help" and getting the pandemic under control.

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"I will work just as hard for those of you who didn't vote for me as I will for those who did. There is urgent work in front of all of us," Biden said.

"Getting the pandemic under control to getting the nation vaccinated against this virus. Delivering immediate economic help so badly needed by so many Americans who are hurting today — and then building our economy back better than ever."

This comes days after Trump was labelled "Loser of the Year" by respected German news magazine Der Spiegel.

According to Huffington Post, a portion of the article states that Trump was, "never concerned with the common good, but always with one thing — himself.”

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“Nothing is normal under Trump,” the article continues. "He refuses to admit defeat. Instead, he speaks of massive electoral fraud, although there is no evidence for it. The whole thing is not surprising. Trump’s presidency ends as it began: Without decency and without dignity."

An emotional Joe Biden has been seen shedding a tear after leaving his home to be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.

According to The Independent, Biden became emotional while on-camera during a video address to the public in his home state of Delaware before departing for Washington D.C and the White House.

Take a look at this footage of Biden crying in the video below: 

Biden took to the stage at the Delaware National Guard headquarters in New Castle, which was renamed after Joe Biden's son Beau in 2016 - following the 44th Attorney General's death at the age of 46 as a result of a brain tumor.

Per CNBC, in a video shared with his 24.5 million followers on Twitter, the 78-year-old Biden can be seen dabbing his eyes as he states:

"It’s kind of emotional for me. The state that loves our children and our grandchildren, and loved our Beau, and he so loved you right back.

"It’s deeply personal that our next journey to Washington starts here, a place that defines the very best of who we are as Americans. I know these are dark times, but there’s always light. That’s what makes this state so special. That’s what it taught me."

You can watch Biden's full address to the public here:

Biden continued:

"James Joyce is said to have told a friend, that when it comes his time to pass, when he dies, he said: ‘Dublin will be written on my heart.' Well, excuse the emotion.

"When I die, Delaware will be written on my heart. The hearts of all the Bidens. We love you all. You’ve been there for us in the good and the bad. You never walked away.

“I am even more proud to be standing here, doing this from the Major Beau Biden facility. Ladies and gentlemen, I only have one regret: that he’s not here, because we should be introducing him as president."

Per ABC News, Biden's swearing-in ceremony has been adjusted to accommodate a largely-remote audience as a result of social distancing measures during the ongoing pandemic.

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In addition, security at Biden's inaugural ceremony is also expected to be extremely tight this year as a result of the recent Capitol riots, in which a mob of pro-Trump protestors breached the building and interrupted the Electoral College's affirmation of Biden's victory in the 2020 Presidential Election.

A total of five people, one of whom was a police officer, were killed as a result of the violence that broke out on Wednesday, January 6.

Presidential Inauguration Committee CEO Tony Allen claimed in a statement made to Variety: "Our first priority is safety."

"While many of us will be watching safely from our homes, we are creating real moments of connection that highlight a new inclusive American era of leadership that works for and represents all Americans."

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Per Sky News, Donald Trump has declined to attend Biden's inauguration in person, making him the first President in more than 150 years, and only the fourth American President ever - to skip his successor's inauguration.

Trump took to Twitter just before his permanent ban from the social media platform to write: "To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th."

Today, the US Electoral College is convening in order to cast its votes on behalf of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in order to officially announce Joe Biden as the president-elect of the United States.

Per The Independent, 78-year-old Joe Biden is expected to claim 306 votes to Donald Trump's 232 in accordance with the 2020 US presidential election results.

All 538 electors will meet in their respective states to cast their votes for president. The electors - most of whom were chosen by political parties in each state ahead of the November election - are beleived to be casting their ballots in state Capitol buildings, NBC News reports.

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The first states set to cast their votes today are Indiana, Tennessee, and Vermont, which will take place at 10:00AM.

Electors from the battleground swing-states of Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania are expected to vote at noon, while it is slated that Wisconsin's will vote at 1:00PM and Michigan's at 2:00PM.

As of this writing, CNN reports that Biden received a record-breaking 81,282,896 (51.3%) votes across the US. Meanwhile, Trump trails behind on a more-than-respectable 74,222,484 (46.8%).

Kamala Harris calls Joe Biden after he was projected to win the election:

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The vote will effectively put an end to Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the election result on the unfounded claims of voter fraud.

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In fact, last night (Sunday, December 13), Trump took to Twitter to once again repeat his allegations of fraud, writing: "Swing States that have found massive VOTER FRAUD, which is all of them, CANNOT LEGALLY CERTIFY these votes as complete & correct without committing a severely punishable crime.

"Everybody knows that dead people, below age people, illegal immigrants, fake signatures, prisoners,....

".....and many others voted illegally. Also, machine 'glitches' (another word for FRAUD), ballot harvesting, non-resident voters, fake ballots, 'stuffing the ballot box', votes for pay, roughed up Republican Poll Watchers, and sometimes even more votes than people voting, took....

"....place in Detroit, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and elsewhere. In all Swing State cases, there are far more votes than are necessary to win the State, and the Election itself. Therefore, VOTES CANNOT BE CERTIFIED. THIS ELECTION IS UNDER PROTEST!"

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Twitter flagged each of Trump's tweets with a warning that reads: "This claim about voter fraud is disputed."

Votes cast throughout the day will be sent to Congress to be officially counted on January 6.

What is the Electoral College system?

The 2020 US election results will be determined by the Electoral College system – not the American voter.

Many incorrectly believe that the national vote dictates who becomes president and vice-president. But the truth is, although the public directly elects governors, mayors, and members of Congress, it's the electoral college that decides who goes into the White House.

The Electoral College is a group of 538 people that meet every four years shortly after Election Day to choose the winner of the US presidency. It's made up of representatives from each state, who are appointed by their corresponding political parties.

The number of members each state is allowed is determined by its population. California has the most with a staggering 55 electors while smaller states like Alaska have just three – which is the minimum.

Each member of the electoral college represents one vote. Typically, each elector casts their vote based on whoever won the public vote in their state – however, this isn't always the case.

To win the 2020 US election, Donald Trump or Joe Biden required the majority of these votes – which is 270 is more.

This is why it's possible for a candidate to lose the popular vote but still win the US presidential election.

Back in 2013, Hilary Clinton received 3 million more votes more than Trump but lost the race. That's because he received 57% of the electoral college votes.

Hillary Clinton has revealed what it was like to cast her electoral college vote for Joe Biden and against the man who defeated her in the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump.

Back in October, 73-year-old Clinton confirmed that she was an elector for New York state.

During an appearance on Sirius XM, the former Democratic nominee said: "I'm an elector in New York. I'm sure I'll get to vote for Joe [Biden[ and [Kamala Harris] in New York. So, that's pretty exciting."

In the video below, Clinton appears to predict Trump's reaction to the 2020 election:

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And on Monday (December 14), Clinton joined the State's other 28 electors - including her husband, Bill - to officially cast her vote to help determine the next president of the United States.

In response to the historic moment, The Independent reports how political writer Alex Mohajer took to Twitter to describe the moment as "poetic justice" for Clinton.

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Mohajer wrote: "The poetic justice of seeing @HillaryClinton, the 2016 popular vote winner who was denied her presidency in the electoral college, cast her electoral college vote today to make Donald Trump a one-term president is not at all lost on me."

Responding directly to the tweet, Clinton replied: "It felt pretty poetic."

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And in a video shared by political reporter Morgan Mckay following the historic vote, Clinton said: "It felt great! I'm really looking forward to the Biden-Harris administration - it's going to be great for our country."

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Clinton then added: "It’s absolutely monumental. We're going to have a president and vice president who are going to work for all the people and make a real difference for everybody."

As of this writing, CNN reports that Biden received a record-breaking 81,283,098 (51.3%) votes across the US, resulting in 306 of the electoral college votes.

Meanwhile, Trump trails behind on a more-than-respectable 74,222,958 (46.8%) and 232 electoral college votes.

What is the Electoral College system?

The 2020 US election results are determined by the Electoral College system – not by the popular American vote.

Many incorrectly believe that the national vote dictates who becomes president and vice-president. But the truth is, although the public directly elects governors, mayors, and members of Congress, it's the electoral college that decides who goes into the White House.

The Electoral College is a group of 538 people that meet every four years shortly after Election Day to choose the winner of the US presidency. It's made up of representatives from each state, who are appointed by their corresponding political parties.

The number of members each state is allowed is determined by its population. California has the most with a staggering 55 electors while smaller states like Alaska have just three – which is the minimum.

Each member of the electoral college represents one vote. Typically, each elector casts their vote based on whoever won the public vote in their state – however, this isn't always the case.

To win the 2020 US election, Donald Trump or Joe Biden required the majority of these votes – which is 270 is more.

This is why it's possible for a candidate to lose the popular vote but still win the US presidential election.

Back in 2013, Hillary Clinton received 3 million more votes more than Trump but lost the race. That's because he received 57% of the electoral college votes.

The Presidential election is just weeks away, and with the race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden heating up, Katherine Schwarzenegger has urged her followers to vote for Joe Biden.

The 30-year-old lent her support to the Democratic candidate in a series of Instagram stories after Trump told Americans not to be "afraid of COVID" after being diagnosed himself.

"If that tweet itself is not enough to get you fired up to want to elect Biden and get rid of Trump as president of our country, then I don't know what is," the 30-year-old said, per Yahoo! News, in reference to Trump's tweet that he would be returning to the White House.

"That's the sickest tweet I've ever seen. Please vote."

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Trump urged Americans not to "let [the coronavirus] dominate your life" and assured them that he felt better than he did 20 years ago after contracting the virus that has killed more than a million people around the globe.

Schwarzenegger, who is the daughter of California's former Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, a relative of former President John F. Kennedy, said that while she has different political views from some people, Trump's recent actions have forced her to speak out against him.

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"I've also always been somebody who is super respectful of people's choices to support whoever they want to support, especially politically. I grew up in a family with different political views, so I'm very used to that and I'm also very respectful of it," she said, Yahoo! News reports.

"But I'm actually at a point now where if I think that I am interacting with anybody who supports a man who tweets that when there are people who have lost loved ones and who are really sick and people who are still dying because of COVID, then I just don't really know how I can understand how you can support an individual like that. So, get thinking people [sic]."

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The 30-year-old subsequently posted a picture of herself smiling after some of her followers slammed her for speaking out against Trump.

"Please go ahead and unfollow me if you think Trump's tweet today was appropriate or helpful in regards to the global pandemic we are in and to those who's [sic] lives have been lost," she wrote, alongside a sparkly sticker that reads: "Bye for now."