On Jan. 6, Congress will hold a joint session to certify the results of state Electoral College votes, and so far, 12 Republican senators and more than 100 House members have said they want to challenge the Electoral College. A House Democratic leader said Monday (Jan. 4) that his caucus will defend itself in the face of challenges to the Electoral College vote results by Republican senators and representatives.
“The voters have spoken, the Electoral College has spoken, the courts have spoken.” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters Monday.
Jeffries added that Democrats will “respond in a serious, dignified and substantive way” when a joint session of Congress meets and when Republicans object to the Electoral College vote results.
Republican Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ariz.), who is leading Republican House opposition to the Electoral College vote in some swing states, has said for weeks that he will challenge the Electoral College vote in those states.
To mount a challenge in a joint session of Congress, at least one senator and one House member must file a written objection. So far, 12 Republican senators, including Josh Hawley (R-Texas) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), have announced they will challenge.
“Election fraud has posed an ongoing challenge in our elections, though its breadth and scope are controversial. By any measure, there have been more allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election than at any time in our lifetimes.” The 11 senators, led by Cruz, said in a statement on Saturday (2).
The 11 Republican senators also urged Congress to establish an elections commission to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of election results. In the statement, they said, “The intention is to vote on Jan. 6 and reject electors from disputed states (voting results) until the results of the emergency audit are completed and then adjusted.”
On the other hand, some Republican senators and representatives said they would not participate in the challenge. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-TX) reportedly told Republican senators that challenging the Electoral College could be a politically dangerous move.
On Jan. 3, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) laid out a strategy for Democrats during a joint session. In a statement, she claimed that Senate President and Vice President Mike Pence (R-Iowa), who will chair the joint session, will initiate a roll call to certify the results of each state’s Electoral College vote.
“The staff will announce the results of each state’s vote, in alphabetical order, and there will be no discussion in the joint session.” Pelosi wrote, “If House and Senate members file written objections, we will meet in our respective chambers and have up to two hours of debate. Only then will members be able to speak to the full House. Dissent will be denied unless both the House and Senate vote against the state’s Electoral College vote results.”
The statement further indicated that House Democrats have been working on ways to fend off an election challenge by Republican members of Congress in support of President Trump (R-Trump).
She said, “The constitutional body and our members have been making the constitutional, historical and thematic case for the Democrats.”
She added that Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Joe Neguse (D-CA) have provided “patriotic” and “strategic guidance.” Pelosi also added that they would meet by Jan. 6.
Pelosi then declared that she believes Joe Biden will be certified as the next president when the challenge is completed.
After Senators and Representatives file against a state’s electoral votes, each chamber debates for up to two hours. There will be a simple majority vote on whether to certify the state’s election results.
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