Washington, Dec. 16 : The Electoral College has officially confirmed that Barack Obama will be the United States''s 44th president.

According to CBS, the Electoral College voters cast their ballots in state capitals on Monday, fulfilling their ceremonial but very important role as laid out by the Constitution.

But this is actually not the last step in the process. Congress will still have to confirm the results at a joint session scheduled for January 6. Obama will then be sworn in as the country''s first black president on January 20 at noon.

Earlier, a foreign news agency reported that 131 million Americans voted this year - the most ever.

That amounted to 61.6 percent of eligible voters, the highest percentage since 1968. (ANI)