The United States House of Representatives and Senate will meet at the Capitol on January 6, 2025 for the certification session that will formalize Donald Trump as the country’s new president.
After Americans registered their votes on November 5th and in the weeks leading up to the election, a new phase of the electoral process began. The states had until December 11th to confirm the electoral results, through Verification Certificates.
On December 17th, the electoral slates of the 50 states and Washington DC will meet in their capitals to officially register the 538 Electoral College votes.
The new legislature will be responsible for certifying the Electoral College votes, which, in practice, means counting and validating the votes of each state’s delegates. All new congressmen will take the oath of office and begin the 119th Legislature on January 3rd.
What the Constitution says about presidential certification
The American Constitution defines that “Congress shall be in session on the sixth day of January following all meetings of the delegates. The Senate and the House of Representatives will meet in the Hall of the Chamber of Representatives at one o’clock in the afternoon of that day, and the President of the Senate will preside over the session.” The position of President of the Senate, as determined by the Constitution, is occupied by the Vice President of the United States.
Once gathered, four members of Congress – two senators and two members of the Chamber, with both parties represented – are appointed “scrutineers”. They sit at the front of the Hall and count the delegates’ votes.
The President of the Senate announces the final results. As the vice president holds the presidency of the Senate, it will be Kamala Harris, the candidate defeated in the elections, who will preside over the confirmation of Trump’s victory. She will not be the first vice president to confirm her own defeat. In 2001, Democratic Vice President Al Gore presided over the 2000 election count, in which he himself lost to Republican George W. Bush.
The Constitution says, finally, that the announcement of the result of the vote “shall be considered a sufficient declaration by the people” elected as president and vice-president.
However, after reading each state’s certification, congressmen can object to the result.
The request is only officially considered if the objection is made in writing and is signed by at least one deputy and one senator.
In this case, the joint session would be suspended and the House and Senate would go into separate sessions to consider the request. The objection would need approval by a simple majority of both Houses.
If the objection were approved, the electoral votes (delegates) of the state in question would be nullified. This has never happened in the history of the United States.
This content was originally published in What is the US President-elect’s vote certification? on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
