How Congress Will Certify Trump’s Electoral College Victory on Jan 6
The upcoming congressional session on January 6 will officially confirm Trump’s 2024 election win, marking a significant political moment.
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Washington: The congressional session on January 6 is set to be a lot calmer than the chaotic one four years ago. Back then, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, trying to overturn the election results. This time, Trump is coming back after winning the 2024 election against Kamala Harris, who will oversee the certification of her own loss.
Usually, this session is pretty routine. Congress meets every four years to count the electoral votes after the Electoral College has made its decision in December. It’s a constitutional requirement, and there are specific steps they follow.
So, what happens during this session? Congress will open sealed certificates from each state that show their electoral votes. These votes come in special mahogany boxes. Representatives from both parties will read the results aloud, and the vice president, acting as the Senate’s president, will declare the winner.
In case of a tie, the House would decide the presidency, but that’s not going to happen this time since Trump won decisively. After the chaos of 2021, Congress tightened the rules for certification. The updated Electoral Count Act makes it clear that the vice president can’t just decide the results.
Harris and Pence aren’t the first vice presidents to oversee their own defeats. Al Gore did it in 2001 when he lost to George W. Bush, and Biden did the same for Trump in 2017. It’s a tough spot to be in, but it’s part of the job.
During the session, the presiding officer will present the electoral vote certificates in alphabetical order. Tellers from both parties will read and count the votes. At the end, the presiding officer will announce who won the majority.
If someone wants to object to a state’s vote, they need to have a written objection signed by one-fifth of each chamber. That’s a much higher bar than before, making it harder to raise objections. If an objection does meet that threshold, both chambers will discuss it separately. But if they don’t agree, the original votes stand.
After Congress certifies the votes, the president is inaugurated on January 20. This session is the last chance for any objections, and since Harris has conceded, it’s expected to go smoothly.