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Will Congress Block Certification of Biden's Victory?

Patsy Widakuswara

   Lawmakers from the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are
   scheduled to meet Wednesday in a joint session of Congress to count and
   certify electoral votes based on the result of the November
   presidential election.

   This usually routine and ceremonial function -- a final step after the
   Electoral College officially elected Joe Biden on December 14 -- has
   turned into a litmus test of Republican lawmakers' loyalty to President
   Donald Trump. More than 100 Trump loyalists are set to challenge
   certification.

   Here's what we can expect from the meeting.

   What usually happens?

   Under the [1]12th Amendment, both chambers must meet to officially
   count and certify the Electoral College results from all 50 states and
   the District of Columbia.

   Representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties in the Senate
   and House are appointed as "tellers" from each chamber. Vice President
   Mike Pence, in his capacity as president of the Senate, presides over
   the joint session. If he cannot preside, the longest-serving senator in
   the majority party, in this case, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of
   Iowa, leads the session as the Senate president pro-tempore.

References

   1. https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xii

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