Reporter's Notebook: Win or lose, Harris must attend the Jan. 6 presidential election certification
The last Electoral College certification emerged as one of the ugliest days in US history
By Chad Pergram Fox News
Published August 15, 2024 3:13pm EDT
We don’t know whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Trump will win the White House this fall.
But there are two things we do know:
The 2024 presidential election is likely to be tight. And regardless of the victor, Harris will co-preside over her victory or defeat when the House and Senate convene a joint session of Congress to certify the Electoral College results on Jan. 6, 2025.
She’s required to do so.
The House and Senate are the quadrennial arbiters of the electoral vote on Jan. 6. That’s why the date was so controversial four years ago. It devolved into a riot and emerged as one of the ugliest days in American history. What was usually a sleepy, ceremonial affair on Jan. 6 to tabulate and sign off on the electoral vote emerges forevermore as a major national security event — along the lines of State of the Union. And like it or not, possible controversy over the certification process next Jan. 6 likely gains momentum by the fact that Harris is the presumptive Democratic nominee and will be on the dais for her defeat or victory.
This scenario is just another radiating political isotope, augmenting our already unsteady political climate. It doesn’t help matters that Jan. 6, 2025, will be the first time Congress has met to certify the Electoral College since the mayhem of almost four years ago. That’s augmented by the fact that Trump stands to either officially win or lose on that day, too.
The vice president presides over joint sessions of Congress alongside the speaker of the House. Under the Constitution, the vice president also serves as president of the Senate — the only leader mentioned in the Constitution when it comes to the Senate. Joint sessions of Congress are special parliamentary events. Congress only convenes in such a conclave for the president’s State of the Union address and to certify the Electoral College results.
Vice presidents sometimes duck joint meetings of Congress (note the slight difference). They look the same, but aren’t. Both bodies of Congress assemble in the House chamber for a joint meeting. Those circumstances are reserved for lawmakers to receive a foreign dignitary. Notably, Harris did not preside over a joint meeting of Congress for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/win-lose-harris-must-attend-highly-anticipated-jan-6-presidential-election-certification
