Vice President Mike Pence said Saturday (Jan. 2) that he welcomes objections and evidence from members of the House and Senate on Jan. 6.
“Vice President Pence shares the concerns of millions of Americans about voter fraud and irregularities in the last election,” said Marc Short, the vice president’s chief of staff, in a statement to the media Saturday.
“The vice president welcomes members of the Senate and House of Representatives to use their legal authority to raise objections and submit evidence to Congress and the American people on Jan. 6.” The statement said.
Eleven Republican senators in the U.S. Congress issued a joint statement Saturday calling on Congress to follow precedent and establish an election commission to conduct a 10-day emergency audit of the controversial election results.
The 11 senators said a joint session vote by Congress on Jan. 6 is the only remaining constitutional authority to consider and resolve multiple allegations of serious voter fraud. They will oppose the Electoral College vote until the audit is completed.
Republican senators argue that there are more allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election than any other in their lifetimes, and that such concerns are widespread among Americans.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, 39 percent of Americans believe “the election is rigged. This view is held by Republicans (67 percent), Democrats (17 percent) and independents (31 percent).
The Court was expected to hear the evidence and address these serious allegations of election fraud; however, the Supreme Court has twice refused to take up the case.
The requirement that Congress establish an independent election commission is not a Republican first.
The earliest precedent came in 1877, when Hayes made allegations of serious fraud and illegal practices in the Haye-Tilden presidential election. At the time, three states – Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina – were accused of illegal conduct in their elections.
Congress and the media paid considerable attention to the allegations and appointed an elections commission – consisting of five senators, five House members and five Supreme Court justices – to consider and resolve the controversial issues.
And Democratic members of Congress have challenged presidential election results in Congress in 1969, 2001, 2005 and 2017. And, in both 1969 and 2005, a Democratic senator joined Democratic House members in calling for votes in both chambers on whether to accept the challenged presidential electoral votes.
At press time, 12 Republican senators in Congress have said they will challenge the election results on January 6; in addition, at least four dozen Republican House members have said they will join the challenge on January 6.
According to the congressional process, if one of each senator and representative raises objections to the electoral votes of key states during the joint session of Congress on the 6th, it will trigger a two-hour debate in each disputed state respectively.
Members of both chambers then withdraw to their respective chambers and debate and vote on the objections. If the objection ultimately receives a majority vote in both chambers, it is sustained and the electoral college votes of the challenged states are nullified.
In accordance with the Constitution and the law, the Vice President presides over the joint session of Congress on the 6th, but it is still the majority of both houses of Congress that has decision-making power over the disputed Electoral College votes.
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