What’s next after Electoral College vote?
Congress will convene Jan. 6 to certify votes
President-elect Joe Biden’s win in the general election was confirmed Monday after members of the Electoral College cast their votes.
The 538 members of the Electoral College met in person or virtually to make the results in their states official. Biden won 306 electoral votes, and President Donald Trump won 232.
The majority of the meetings went smoothly with little fanfare.
“In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed,” Biden said after the Electoral College met Monday. “We the people voted. Faith in our institutions held. The integrity of our elections remains intact. And so now, it is time to turn the page. To unite. To heal.”
But the election process isn’t done just yet.
Here’s what happens next.
Next up, Congress
The electoral votes cast Monday will be submitted to a special joint session of Congress that will convene Jan. 6, when votes will be counted.
Though Congress is expected to certify the votes, some Republican allies of Trump are likely to contest some states’ election outcomes. But nearly all states resolved election disputes before the “safe harbor” deadline, guaranteeing their electors will be counted under federal law.
Stephen Miller, a Trump senior adviser, said Monday that Republicans in battleground states where Trump lost plan to meet to appoint their own slates of electors whose votes will be submitted to Congress. Several groups gathered in Michigan, Georgia, New Mexico and elsewhere.
“We have more than enough time to right the wrong from this fraudulent election result and certify Donald Trump as the winner of the election,” Miller said on “Fox and Friends.” “As we speak today, an alternate slate of electors in the contested states is going to vote, and we’re going to send those votes up to Congress. This will ensure all of our legal remedies will remain open.”
What about the lawsuits?
The Trump campaign filed lawsuits in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada and Georgia. Republican allies also filed lawsuits, including in Texas and New Mexico, challenging the results.
The majority of lawsuits have been dismissed or denied, though a couple are pending.
The filings are “small-scale lawsuits that do not appear to affect many votes,” according to The Associated Press.
Inauguration in January
Despite Trump and his allies’ repeated attempts to challenge the election results, Biden and his team are preparing for the president-elect’s inauguration Jan. 20.
Biden’s biggest challenge surrounding the inauguration isn’t election results being questioned. It’s COVID-19.
The inauguration is likely to be scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic. Precautions such as social distancing and required face masks will be part of this year’s event. People on stage with Biden will probably be required to take a COVID-19 test.
Now that Monday’s electoral vote is over, Biden is one step closer to being inaugurated as the United States’ 46th president.