On Monday, voters in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., will meet to formally vote for president and vice president.
Usually, the voter’s vote is little more than a ceremonial stamp of approval for the November election results. But in this year’s election, the Electoral college vote on December 14 has taken on particular prominence as President Donald Trump has refused to back down and has filed lawsuits in several swing states over fraud.
The day before the Electoral College vote, President Donald Trump said massive voter fraud had been uncovered in swing states that would not only be illegal but would be a serious, punishable crime to certify the election results.
Trump cited numerous instances of fraud in those swing states and said the election results should not be certified. “This election is in protest!” “We will never give up!
Biden’s team said it was confident Monday’s vote would go smoothly.
Here’s a guide to the Electoral College:
- What part of the Constitution is relevant?
The voting procedure for presidential electors is described in article ii, Paragraph 1, and the 12th Amendment to the Constitution. There are also federal laws that detail other parts of the process.
Where do the electors meet?
Under the Constitution, electors meet in their respective states. In practice, electors usually meet in their state legislatures and vote in a ceremony under the supervision of the Secretary of State.
- How is the Electoral College vote conducted?
The New York Times reports that electors will vote on paper ballots for president and vice president. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia legally require electors to choose the person who wins their state’s popular vote, so there should be no surprises there. Another 17 states do not bind electors to vote, which means they can vote for whomever they choose.
After the electors have cast their votes, the votes are counted and the electors sign a certificate certifying the result. These certificates will match the certificates provided by the governor’s office showing the total number of votes cast in the state. The certificates will be sent to Vice President Mike Pence, who serves as speaker of the Senate; the Office of the Federal Register; secretaries of state; and the chief justice of the Federal district court, where electors meet.
- Will the electoral college result be different from the forecast?
Us presidents are not directly chosen by one person, one vote. The real winner is the so-called Electoral College. A college is a group of people with a common task. These people are electors. Their task is to choose the president and vice president.
There are 538 electoral votes in the U.S. election. A presidential candidate needs to win a majority of the electoral votes — 270 or more — to become president.
The media is forecasting 306 electoral votes for Biden and 232 for Trump. Technically, the forecast could change as well, Fox reports. In fact, in 2016, some Democratic electors tried to prevent Trump from becoming president by voting for someone other than Clinton to persuade Republican electors to do the same. But the movement has little support among Democratic voters and little support among Republican ones.
- Can I watch the electors vote?
The Constitution does not specify when state electors should meet, so the time at which electors can vote varies from state to state. The meetings will take place between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Et, with most taking place between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Et.
In many cases, the states will broadcast the electoral College. The 12 noon meeting in Georgia will be broadcast live on Georgia Public Radio. The Maryland conference, held at the same time, will be streamed live on the state’s official website.
Here are some of the key states where voters are voting:
Pennsylvania: 12 p.m. Et on C-SPAN;
Michigan: Broadcast via Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Facebook page at 2 p.m. Edt (according to Detroit News);
Wisconsin: 1 p.m. Em, through WisconsinEye broadcast;
New Hampshire: 10 a.m. Et, via the New Hampshire State Department;
Arizona: 1 p.m. Et, via the state website;
Nevada: 11:30 a.m. Edt on the state government website.
- What happens next?
The electoral vote does not mean the US election process is over. Congress will hold a joint session on January 6 to officially count the electoral college votes submitted by the states, or to certify the results. Vice President Mike Pence will chair the meeting. Two members appointed by each house read and count the electoral votes in alphabetical order. The results were then presented to Mr Burns. Pence announced the results and listened to objections.
During the joint session, if at least one representative and one senator simultaneously refuse to accept a state’s electoral vote, the House and Senate will vote on it.
Alabama Representative Mo Brooks and other Republican house members say they plan to challenge electoral college votes in a number of swing states. The lawmakers said the state elections were too flawed to convince them of the results.
Senators Rand Paul and Ron Johnson have said they would not rule out rejecting electoral College results submitted by some swing states.
If the lawmakers succeed in their challenge, the results of the state elections will be annulled. Brooks said it made sense because “I strongly believe that this election was stolen by the Socialist Democrats.”
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