Congress prepares to certify Electoral College results despite GOP objections; here’s why

The House and Senate will meet for a joint session on Wednesday to certify the electoral college results, the final step in finalizing Joe Biden’s presidential victory – but some GOP lawmakers say not so fast.

The Trump 2020 campaign has led dozens of lawsuits seeking to overturn the election results, which saw Biden defeat President Trump by 306-232 Electoral College votes.

The electoral vote took place on December 14, following the popular vote on November 3.

Trump has continually claimed that the election was fraudulent, although former Attorney General William Barr announced last month that the Justice Department had “not seen fraud on a scale that could have had a different outcome in of the election “.

The United States Supreme Court also declined to consider two cases, and more than 50 lawsuits challenging the results were dismissed in lower courts.

But some GOP lawmakers say a 10-day emergency audit must be completed by an election commission to restore voter confidence in the US electoral process – a demand that has not only frustrated Democrats, but divides the Party. republican.

A dozen Republican senators, led by Sen. Ted Cruz, of R-Texas, said they would oppose the election results if an audit was not completed.

Here’s what to expect on Wednesday.

How the electoral college vote is certified

The Senate and House of Representatives meet every January 6 after a presidential election to certify state votes at 1 p.m. in the House Chamber.

As Speaker of the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence will open each state’s voting results in alphabetical order, before handing them to two House and Senate “tellers” to present the results.

Pence will ask if there are any objections to each state’s results, at which time a written objection can be made as long as it has been signed by at least one representative and one senator.

The joint session is then suspended so that the Senate and the House can debate the objections separately for two hours, each member being able to speak only once and for a maximum of five minutes.

Both houses then vote on the objection, which requires a simple majority to be maintained. If the majority is not met, the objection is rejected and the state vote is counted.

Should anyone object?

Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., Paved the way for GOP lawmakers in the House to voice their objections, although until recently he did not have the support of a senator.

Although Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged GOP senators to accept the results of the election – which saw Biden win the popular tally by 7 million votes – Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo ., Announced earlier this week that he would oppose the results of some states, such as Pennsylvania, where he is challenging the legitimacy of counted mail-in votes. He was then joined by another group of eleven senators, who demanded a 10-day audit on Saturday.

But it wasn’t just Democrats who voiced their frustrations over calls for an election commission: Rep. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., Rejected the request, saying Trump’s loss was “explained by declining support. of the suburbs “.

“A fundamental and defining characteristic of a democratic republic is the right of the people to elect their own leaders,” Toomey said in a statement on Saturday. “The effort of Senators Hawley, Cruz and others to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in changing states like Pennsylvania directly violates this right.”

Senator Mitt Romney, R-Utah, called the move a “blatant ploy” and Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she would maintain the electoral college vote because she “had vowed to support and defend the Constitution ”.

Will Republicans be able to reverse a state vote?

Brooks told Fox News on Saturday evening that more than 50 members of Congress have pledged to oppose the results in states “whose electoral systems were not to be trusted.”

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And while the number of GOP objectors is likely to be substantial, they would need to have a simple majority in the House to successfully pass an objection – which would require the support of all Republicans and some Democrats who hold a majority in the House. .

The same is true in the Senate, and with only a dozen Republicans seeking to oppose the state’s election results, it is highly unlikely that they can go through with an objection.