NOW: Congress meets to count electoral votes as Harris presides over certification of Trump's win

 

Vice President Kamala Harris stands with House Speaker Mike Johnson as a joint session of Congress convenes to confirm the Electoral College votes, affirming President-elect Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election, on Monday, January 6, in Washington, DC. 

Matt Rourke/AP

Vice President Kamala Harris called to order the joint session of Congress to count the electoral votes from each state and officially certify Donald Trump’s win in the 2024 presidential election.

How the process will work: Going in alphabetical order, Harris in her role as president of the Senate will open each state’s certificate of electoral votes and hand them to one of the four “tellers” – a pair of them coming from both the House and Senate. The teller will then read, record, and tally the certificates of electoral votes from each state and the District of Columbia.

This is the point in the process when members can challenge a state’s electoral votes. But for the objection to be heard, it must be submitted in writing and signed by at least one-fifth of the House and one-fifth of the Senate. That’s a higher bar than in past years, when only one member of the House and one Senator could pause the proceedings. The grounds for lodging an objection are also stricter now, because of the 2022 Electoral Count Reform Act.

When the final tallies are in, Harris will announce the certified count. According to the law, that declaration will be considered final or, in legal terms, “shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons” elected president and vice president.