In Deciding the 2020 Election, Congress Will Get the Last Word
The Senate and House will meet in a joint session on Jan. 6, a day the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg labeled the date of “ultimate significance” in our electoral process, to count the recently cast electoral votes. What happens that day will determine the outcome of the presidential election. . .
The Electoral Count Act provides that after the electors in each state and the District of Columbia vote on Dec. 14, they must sign a certificate of their votes that is then sealed and sent to the president of the Senate.
At 1:00 p.m. on Jan. 6, a joint session of Congress convenes, at which the presiding officer opens the states’ certificates in alphabetical order. Each certificate is then presented to “tellers” who read the votes aloud, after which the presiding officer invites objections.
Under the law, objections must be presented in writing and signed by at least one senator and one representative. When a properly made objection is received, the separate houses retreat to their respective chambers for two hours of debate and a vote on whether to count the votes in question.
The chambers must vote separately on each objection. If a majority in each supports the objection, the votes in question are excluded. If the objection garners the support of less than a majority in either chamber, it fails, and the challenged votes are counted. (Read more from “In Deciding the 2020 Election, Congress Will Get the Last Word” HERE)
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