In the shadow of the January 6, 2021 riots, Congress certifies the 2024 elections: NPR

Congress met Monday amid a snowstorm to certify President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory in a smooth and orderly process, unlike four years ago, when crowds of Trump supporters broke through the security barriers of the US Capitol and stormed the building in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost the presidential election to Trumpoversaw the procedures certifying Trump’s victory and announced the final tally: 312 to 226.

Unlike four years ago, there were no objections to the certification of a state’s certificate of election during the one-hour joint session of Congress, a return to what is normally a mundane bureaucratic process of members fulfilling a constitutional duty to officially oversee the counting of electoral votes.

While some Democrats opposed Trump’s 2016 election victory, none did so Monday.

Four scrutineers – two from each house – took turns announcing that the electoral certificates from each state were “regular in form and authentic”.

Lawmakers from both parties politely applauded after each result was read. Vice President-elect JD Vance had a front-row seat to his own election certification, standing and applauding as the results from his home state – Ohio – were read in his favor.

There was a standing ovation after Harris concluded the certification — the only time members from both sides of the aisle applauded together.

After the certification, Harris told reporters on Capitol Hill that the ceremony was “what should be the norm and what the American people should be able to take for granted – which is one of the most important pillars of our democracy, is that there will be peaceful peace.” transfer of power.”

She added that she “did what I have done throughout my career” and fulfilled the constitutional duty of our office.

“I firmly believe that American democracy is only as strong as our will to fight for it.”

In the shadow of 2021

“We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you won’t have a country anymore,” Trump said. told his supporters in 2021 during a rally on the ellipse in front of the White House hours before the certification process began.

Trump called on his vice president, Mike Pence, not to certify the electoral count in favor of Biden. Once Pence made it clear he would not intervene, some of the protesters who marched to the Capitol after Trump’s speech chanted “hang Mike Pence.”

On Monday, Pence welcomed “the peaceful transfer of power” on social networkscongratulated Trump and Vance and praised lawmakers from both parties for making the process go smoothly. He also praised Harris, noting “it was particularly admirable that Vice President Harris presided over the certification of a presidential election that she lost.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who wrote a legal brief in support of efforts to challenge the results as a rank-and-file member in 2021, sat next to Harris on the dais Monday.

Before the ceremony, many Democratic lawmakers released statements expressing concerns about Trump’s actions in 2021 and saying the process would move forward without any disruption. Several also argued that the GOP was essentially trying to rewrite the history of that day.

Republicans largely did not acknowledge the violence or unrest that followed the scene that delayed the 2021 certification until the early morning hours of January 7, 2021.

Certification: 2021 versus 2025

In response to the 2021 attack, Congress passed electoral reform measures to clarify the certification process.

The 2024 election is the first presidential election to be certified under the new law – The Electoral Count Reform Act (ECRA).

Previously, only one member of the House and one member of the Senate could file an objection to a state’s electoral count. This opened a potentially days-long period of debate without a clear resolution if the two chambers subsequently disagreed on their respective votes on the objection.

The original law, passed in 1887, also did not specify what types of issues could be considered a challenge.

ECRA has raised the bar on objections to election results (which have already been certified by each state). Under the new law, an objection is only valid if it is signed by one-fifth of each house of Congress.

The law significantly narrows the grounds on which a lawmaker can object to the results, clarifying that partisan differences over election policies in a given state do not constitute a valid reason to object to the state’s results.

The Justice Department said Monday it has charged 1,583 people with crimes in federal court related to the events of January 6, 2021. The charges cover assaults on more than 140 Capitol and District of Columbia police officers and damage to the Capitol and others. government property. The FBI is also trying to track down other people wanted for violent attacks that day.

In addition, the lawyers of convicted Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio renewed their request for pardon from Trump on Monday. Tarrio is serving a 22-year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy for his role in the attack.

Tarrio was held in special housing units during his incarceration, limiting his interactions with other prisoners and his movement outside his cell. His lawyer told NPR that this type of isolation can lead to serious mental health problems..

The call comes as Trump said he wants to forgive at least some of the defendants convicted in the Capitol riot.

Trump will be inaugurated on January 20 on the west side of the Capitol.

NPR’s Miles Parks and Carrie Johnson contributed to this story